Heartsavers - Exercise
It has been known for some time now that taking regular moderate
exercise can help you to live longer.
Prevention of coronary heart disease.
Exercise to live longer
Numerous studies have shown that for those who regularly take moderate exercise their life spans are increased. Fortunately, these studies also show that you don't have to exercise very much in order to obtain the benefits.
In other words moderate physical activity such as regularly walking 30 minutes per day will do you almost as much good as high level activities.
This is really good news, it means that the majority of people should have no difficulty in improving their health through regular exercise.
At this point we should make a distinction between fitness and health. Exercise alone is not enough to achieve good health, you can certainly get fit by regular exercise, but you could still get an heart attack if you insist on running saturated fats through you blood stream every few hours.
Therefore once again we find that you need to make the comprehensive lifestyle changes in line with the Heart Savers philosophy for best results.
Exercise is an essential part of an overall strategy to improve your health.
Risk of Injury
There are certain risks attached to exercise, for example torn and strained muscles and ligaments perhaps even broken bones. Much will depend on the type of physical exercise undertaken. Even more serious, there is also the risk of sudden cardiac death. This is particularly important in people who have already been diagnosed with heart disease.
We have already seen that the major benefits to heart health is to move from low levels of physical activity to the next level, that is moderate exercise. At this level risk of injury is fairly low, but if you wish to take more vigorous exercise then you should be aware of the risks involved.
If you have (or suspect you may have) heart disease, or are in any doubt about your state of health, then consult your doctor before embarking on any exercise programme.
IMPORTANT: The benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks.