Physical Inactivity and Heart Disease

Physical Inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease. In fact, people who don’t get enough physical activity are much more likely to develop heart disease, as well as high blood pressure. Increasing your activity level, even to a moderate amount, will provide you with many benefits.

Benefits of Exercise

Exercise offers many pleasant and important benefits :

• Reduces heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and stress.

• Builds and maintains strength, endurance and energy levels.

• Improves physical appearance and overall feelings of well-being.

• Promotes deeper, more restful sleep.

• Helps you moderate your appetite.

• Improves your alertness and work productivity.

• Develops muscle tone and stronger bones.

Recommendations

Regular aerobic exercise, such as jogging, brisk walking, bicycling or swimming, provides the best results for a healthy heart. It is recommended that you exercise for approximately 30 minutes three to four days per week.

Also, mild physical activities, such as pleasure walking, house cleaning, gardening, or dancing will provide you with benefits, if you do them regularly. Just about anything will work as long as you are physically moving.

Getting Started

• Before beginning an exercise program, contact your physician who can help determine activities and exercise goals that are best for you.

• To be successful with your exercise program, you must choose activities, which you find enjoyable and convenient.

• Choose a time when exercise will best fit into your schedule. Remember you can break your exercise into two or three smaller sessions.

• Try to exercise at the same time each day so that it becomes a regular part of your routine.

• Start slowly and gradually build up in intensity and duration of exercise.

• Always remember to warm up, cool down and stretch.

Staying with it

There are many things you can do to keep exercise a part of your lifestyle :

• Set short and long-term goals for which to strive.

• Exercise with a friend or family member to keep yourself motivated.

• Join an exercise group or club.

• Use a variety of activities that you enjoy to help keep your interest up.