By finding small ways to increase your daily activity level, you could actually lower your risk of heart disease. New research from Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston has shown that getting just 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly can decrease your chances for developing heart disease by almost 14 percent. (That’s just a mere 2.5 hours out of a total of 168 each week). The study was recently published online in Circulation.
Getting too little exercise, or opting to skip it altogether, puts people at greater risk of suffering conditions and events related to heart disease, such as angina or heart attack, and also increases the chance for needing to undergo bypass surgery.
Forms of moderate exercise that lead to reaping heart healthy benefits include brisk walking, dancing, gardening and playing tennis. For those who want a little more from their workout, jogging, swimming laps, jumping rope and uphill hiking are also excellent forms of more vigorous activities.
According to lead study author Jacob Sattelmair, director of research and strategy at the employee health-related organization Dossia, “Some physical activity is better than none, and more is better.” More is indeed better, as the study also found that among those who got double the amount of exercise at 300 minutes, or five hours weekly, the reduction in the risk of heart disease was 20 percent.
But the benefits don’t stop there. The study also found that engaging in even higher levels of activity leads to mounting positive effects. People who exercised for 750 minutes, equivalent to 12.5 hours weekly, gained the benefit of having a 25 percent lower risk of developing heart disease. However, Sattelmair noted that this amount of exercise is beyond the peak of benefits gained, with only a 5 percent gain in risk reduction for an additional 7.5 hours of weekly activity.
On the higher end of the activity spectrum, is too much exercise too much of a good thing? Sattelmair pointed out, “The biggest bang for your buck is at the lower ends of physical activity. If you went from none to 2.5 hours a week, the relative benefit is more than if you went from, say, 5 to 7.5 hours a week.” However, if you enjoy your lengthy vigorous workouts, there is no reason you can’t continue them.
For their study, the researchers reviewed results of 33 studies involving the evaluation of the health benefits of exercise. Findings revealed that although current U.S. guidelines recommend getting at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly, even people who got just 75 minutes of weekly activity still decreased their risk of heart disease in comparison to those who got no exercise at all.
Another interesting finding was that women appear to reap more heart healthy benefits from exercise than do men. However, the research team acknowledged that this may be due to a fluke in the statistics.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Getting up and moving instead of sitting on your bum strengthens the heart, as well as the lungs. Try parking your car farther from the entrance of each stop along your way, and taking stairs versus an elevator. Take a refreshing walk or join your children in their play. Exercise can help keep you young.
In addition, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a normal body weight, as well as keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check all play roles in maintaining heart health.