Posted by Stephen Messineo on Fri, Feb 06, 2009 @ 11:24 AM
How to Prevent or Care for a "Broken Heart" by Exercising!!
As many of you already know, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death and impairment in the United States today. Nothing literally exemplifies a "broken heart" like heart disease or having a heart attack. To avoid these conditions or to feel better after being diagnosed with them, it is extremely important to have the right balance of proper nutrition and exercise.
For people who have suffered a heart attack, it is common to worry that exercise could further damage your heart, but generally, the reverse is true: Not exercising puts you at greater risk for a second cardiac event. For most people, exercising after a heart attack is beneficial, both physically and emotionally. Proper exercise can
- help you strengthen-not strain-your cardiac muscles;
- help you lose weight and reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol level;
- make you feel you have better control over your own wellness; and
- make you less likely to experience depression.
If you have heart disease or have had a heart attack, once
you have received the green light to exercise on your own from your doctor, we can help you design an exercise program to strengthen your heart. A typical exercise plan might involve 10 minutes of warm-ups and stretches, 20 to 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week of more intense, whole-body movement (such as swimming, walking or stationary bicycling), and 5 minutes of cooling down. These exercises should be performed at least 3 times a week.
As you may already know, exercise also strengthens muscles and bones, so the risk of low-back pain, osteoporosis and the likelihood of falls can decrease. Blood pressure and body-fat percentage will be positively affected, as well. This benefits everyone, not just people who have suffered heart attacks.