Heart Disease

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Cardiovascular Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

6.7 Some cardiovascular benefits of regular aerobic exercise are: –
(i) increase in the efficiency of the heart by making it able to pump 50 to 60% more blood with fewer beats (decreased heart beats) resulting in increased oxygen availability to the heart,
(ii) decrease in the oxygen requirement of the heart during rest and normal activity,
(iii) the oxygen extraction from the blood at the capillary level increases from 25% at rest to 85% during exercise,
(iv) decrease in resting blood pressure such that blood pressure medications may be reduced,
(v) decrease in triglyceride levels in the blood and increase in good HDL cholesterol levels, thus making it harder for fats to deposit inside the artery walls,
(vi) decrease in blood sugar levels in the blood such that medications may be decreased, and
(vii) the heart muscles enlarge and you will require less effort for doing ordinary tasks like walking up a flight of stairs or running for a bus.

FITT for life

6.8 The minimum you need to do, as recommended on the parameters of FITT, regarding cardiovascular aerobic exercise is: –
F for Frequency of Training – About 4 to 6 days a week.
I for Intensity that is how hard you should exercise – To obtain maximum cardiovascular benefit, you should exercise between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age.
T for Time – The recommended time depending on your fitness is 20-60 minutes of continuous or intermittent aerobic activity.
T is for Type of exercise – The best type of exercise to develop and maintain cardiac fitness is aerobic exercise. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling, gardening, stair climbing, dancing, swimming, tennis, rowing and badminton.

Guidelines for Exercise by Heart Patients

6.9 If you have recently suffered a heart attack, undergone heart surgery, or if you suffer from angina, you should consult your health practitioner about the amount of exercise to take. The following are some of the guidelines for exercise by heart patients:
(i) Always warm up before carrying out any exercise. Stretch your muscles and relax them gradually. Breathe in and out evenly and slowly. Only take exercise that is within your limitations.