Exercise may not be a cure-all, but it can certainly do its part in guarding against heart disease. Many people exercise just to look good, and are not overly concerned about the health factor. I believe that when you exercise, increasing your level of health and fitness should be your priority, because you will begin to look good anyway. However, looking good should be a fringe benefit and not the main reason to exercise; especially if you are 30 and over.
Factors that influence heart disease
Cardiovascular disease includes all diseases that affect the heart and/or circulatory system. Several factors can influence cardiovascular disease (specifically coronary heart disease), which include obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, stress and a sedentary lifestyle. As a matter of fact, if anyone of your parents died before age 55 of heart disease, it automatically puts you in the high risk group. The good news is that exercise can help reduce many of the above factors.
Exercise helps
Factors that influence heart disease such as obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, stress etc, most times can all be controlled by adopting a physically active lifestyle, because exercise helps to normalise body weight, blood pressure levels, cholesterol levels and it (exercise) helps to control non-insulin dependent diabetes and stress levels. It can even help you give up smoking, because smoking and exercise is like oil and water, they just don't mix. For example, nobody who smokes on a regular basis can ever be an efficient runner. That should give you an idea of the negative impact smoking can have on your lungs. The problem is that many people believe that drugs should be their first option for reducing some of the factors that influence heart disease. For example, there are many cholesterol lowering drugs on the market, but that should not be your first option, unless indicated by your physician. A lifestyle change of exercise and proper eating can do wonders for increasing your good health.
Making time
In your job, you always feel like you are indispensable, and nobody else will be able to do your job as good. However, God forbid, if you drop down from a heart attack, your co-workers will speak in glowing terms about how you were such a hard worker. But I guarantee you that within the week somebody else will be doing your job, that you foolishly thought no one else could do. If in a 24-hour day you can't find one hour to exercise, then you have a serious problem with time management. Remember, exercise is something no one can do for you and if you don't make time for exercise, you may have to make time for sickness.
Best exercises
Any physical activity that you can continuously perform for approximately 45 minutes and that will elevate your heart rate and keep it into your aerobic zone for that time, is ideal for improving the health of your cardiovascular system.
This will include running, riding, swimming, weight training circuits etc. Even action-packed workouts like karate and boxing can be structured so that they have a tremendous, positive effect on your cardiovascular system. Keep Training.
Brian Chin Leung is a certified personal trainer