Talking About Heart Health, Part 4
When I think back to my childhood, I remember fitness moguls on TV -- Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, and Denise Austin, to name a few. I watched shows like American Gladiators wherein contestants battled bodybuilders for the top prize. I recall the endless rounds of gimmicky exercise products on late-night infomercials. Yet all of my television viewing has shaped my understanding that society values fitness.
As I have matured into adulthood, I recognize the value of fitness beyond the appeals to a buff build or a svelte figure. Exercise influences our heart health significantly, and conveys strong implications about our longevity and quality of life. While exercise serves every organ system, the term may be most closely linked to cardiovascular health. Given that the focus of this blog series is heart health, let’s examine the ways that exercise benefits the heart:
When we refer to muscle, we usually mean skeletal muscle -- as in biceps, triceps, quads, etc. But the heart is a muscle too -- cardiac muscle -- and exercise similarly strengthens it. Exercise enables the heart to pump blood more efficiently throughout the body. Because it pumps more blood with each beat, the heart can afford to beat more slowly, thereby reducing blood pressure. Exercise also enables the heart to pull oxygen from the blood more efficiently, which translates to better endurance because we don’t become winded as easily.
Furthermore, exercise optimizes blood flow in the blood vessels around the heart. Interestingly, it may even build a more robust network of connections among these vessels so that if fatty deposits should block one route, blood can travel through these alternate routes. Additionally, as we reviewed in Part 3 of the series, exercise increases the body’s HDL (“good” cholesterol), facilitating the removal of artery-clogging LDL, or bad cholesterol, from the body.
Weight control is another clear benefit of exercise. About 3 of every 4 adults in the United States today are overweight or obese. The more extreme form of overweight, obesity, affects 2 in 5 American adults. Obesity significantly increases the risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Exercise burns calories and improves metabolism, which help to keep weight within a healthy range.
The benefits of exercise don’t stop there. Physical activity can curb Type 2 diabetes because it improves the body’s ability to process glycogen, a fuel used for energy, that when impaired elevates blood sugar. 1 in 3 American adults has prediabetes -- the precursor to Type 2 diabetes -- and over 80% of them are unaware they have it. Without addressing the problem, many adults who have prediabetes will go on to develop full-blown diabetes within five years. Exercise is an important consideration in diabetes prevention.
Finally, exercise helps to mitigate stress and inflammation. Promoting healthy stress management and relaxation, exercise reduces stress hormones that can burden the heart. It can also deter or supplant unhealthy coping mechanisms such as smoking, excessive drinking, and overeating. Reducing chronic inflammation can broadly blunt the adverse effects of many health conditions.
Available as a device or an app, a pedometer is an inexpensive way to track your activity. Aim for at least 10,000 steps per day. Explore the options available in your community to exercise, or find home exercise programs that work for you. Consider creative ways to incorporate more activity into your day, such as parking farther away from store entrances, taking stairs instead of elevators, or walking around the house or office while on the telephone. Aim for a well-rounded exercise program that includes cardio, strength training, balance, and flexibility.
Feel empowered today to know that you can make a big difference in your heart health by taking steps -- literally -- toward a healthier future.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, April 4). About prediabetes & Type 2 diabetes. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/about-prediabetes.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 11). Adult obesity facts. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 11). Obesity and overweight. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm
Cohen, A. (2019, January 3). Exercise helps your heart. Kaiser Permanente. https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/healthAndWellness?item=%2Fcommon%2FhealthAndWellness%2Fconditions%2FheartDisease%2FexerciseBenefit.html
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). 7 heart benefits of exercise. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/7-heart-benefits-of-exercise