Grace Bertram

Over half a million people die of heart disease in the United States every year, and about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack. This is one in every five deaths! Heart disease or cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It is a term that refers to several types of heart conditions, which include coronary heart disease (CHD), valves in the heart, and congestive heart failure. The most common type of heart disease is CHD. When a material called plaque accumulates and narrows the heart’s arteries, coronary heart disease takes place. When an artery is completely clogged, the heart is deprived of blood, which leads to a heart attack. Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, age, male sex, metabolic syndrome, and inactivity are only a few of the risk factors for CVD.

Risk Factors

The majority of CVD cases occur in those over 50, and as you age, your chances of acquiring it rises. Men are more prone than women to experience CVD at a younger age. Diet can also play a major role in one’s likelihood of developing heart disease. An improper diet can bring on high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Heart disease risk factors include a number of things, including high blood pressure, high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, obesity, etc. 90 Percent of heart disease is preventable through a healthier diet, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking.

What can you do about it?

Getting regular exercise when you have heart disease is important. Physical activity can strengthen your heart muscle and help you manage blood pressure and cholesterol level. It can also improve insulin sensitivity, lessen the risk of developing diabetes, normalize elevated blood pressure, decrease blood viscosity, maintain healthy body weight, reduce inflammation throughout the body, and improves leptin sensitivity to protect the heart and vessels. One of the key benefits of exercise is that it helps to control or modify many of the risk factors for heart disease. It increases the muscles’ capacity to get oxygen from the blood, which minimizes the need for the heart to pump more blood to the muscles. It also lowers stress hormones, which can add to the heart’s workload. In addition, exercise boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, which lowers blood pressure, slows the heart rate, and helps regulate triglycerides. The American Heart Association recommends moderate exercise of 30 minutes five times a week to reach at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or vigorous exercise of 25 minutes three times a week to reach at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity for humans in order to prevent CVD. People might select only one form of exercise or mix more vigorous and moderate conditions. Even if they break up the total amount of time into many segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day, they will still profit. It is advised to engage in aerobic activity for 40 minutes, three or four times a week, in order to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

And the Benefits?

People who are engaged in exercise and value downtime are more likely to engage in moderate-intensity exercise. Numerous studies demonstrate that the key component resulting in advantages for individuals is the length of physical activity, not intensity. Even the most straightforward action, nevertheless, is preferable to doing nothing. Furthermore, as a result of people’s varying levels of physical fitness, standard exercise training cannot provide the exact treatment for everyone.

The prevalence among people of obesity has exceeded 50% in most countries and has been increasing in both adults and children over the past few decades worldwide. Increases in blood volume, CRP, and TNF caused by obesity are linked to heart remodeling and inflammation. Additionally, obesity increases the risk of coronary heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and insulin resistance. With 3.2 million fatalities per year, physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth risk factor for mortality globally. Numerous studies demonstrate a clear dose-response association between greater physical activity and a lower incidence of CVD, as seen by changes in body weight, ox- LDL, blood pressure, and glucose tolerance. According to a comprehensive review, inactivity contributes to 6% of coronary heart disease cases globally. Obesity is caused by insufficient physical activity, which raises coagulation factors and endogenous inflammatory chemicals and molecule factors.

High blood pressure, often known as hypertension, is a condition linked to heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and other issues. Both normotensive and hypertensive people suffer a brief drop in blood pressure after exercise. This phenomenon is known as postexercise hypotension. Patients with hypertension may reach a point where their blood pressure returns to normal as a result of the lowered magnitude. Studies looked at how acute exercise affected the response of blood pressure in a meta-analysis. There were notable adjustments. Through a reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation, exercise lowers blood pressure.

All in all…

Aerobic exercise is defined as using aerobic metabolism to extract muscle energy, mainly referring to low- to moderate-intensity physical activities. Aerobic activity uses your heart and lungs for an extended period of time. It also helps your heart use oxygen better and improves blood flow. You want to make your heart work a little harder every time, but not too hard. Be sure to take rest periods before you get too tired. If you feel tired or have any heart symptoms, stop. Wear comfortable clothing for the exercise you are doing. Cardiovascular remodeling, post- MI heart failure, insulin resistance, and endothelial function all benefit from aerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise is any action that produces energy without the need for oxygen, instead employing fermentation and glycolysis. High-intensity activity, such as sprinting and weightlifting, is typically referred to as anaerobic exercise. High-intensity exercise has been shown in several trials to reduce TG and LDL. Anaerobic exercise exhibits similar favorable effects on blood pressure and body mass index as aerobic exercise. Examples of aerobic exercise include cycling, dancing, hiking, treadmill, climbing stairs, swimming, walking, and any activities (the criterion is that you can talk without breathing too hard). Anaerobic exercise refers to sprinting and power lifting.