UNLIKE the plummeting stock market, investing in your heart through regular exercise is certain to give back everything you?ve put into it.
You may neither really care about firm, sexy abs, nor would you care about increasing your muscle power. But there?s inevitably one muscle you simply cannot ignore: the heart muscle.
Daily physical inactivity or lack of exercise was one of the nine risk factors responsible for 90% of first heart attacks among the 30,000 respondents spread across 52 countries in the Interheart study. Among heart attack survivors who regularly exercised, 90% were more likely to be alive seven years after their heart attack compared to those who remained inactive.
Exercise is, undoubtedly, a worthwhile investment, whether one has had, or has not yet had, a heart attack.
The protective effect of exercise was found by investigators to be due to the production of a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that encourages new blood vessels to grow to supply muscle fibers. These muscle fibers are then able to switch from what is known as anaerobic metabolism (one that uses sugar for energy) to aerobic metabolism (one that needs oxygen to work through the breakdown of fats for energy).
Effects of exercise
Exercise causes the heart to get stronger, enabling it to move more blood with each heart beat. Hence, it takes fewer beats to get you through the day. With the heart rate drop, the heart is able to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
Exercise also removes ?bad? LDL cholesterol from the blood, reduces triglycerides and increases ?good? HDL cholesterol.
Exercise wards off stress, builds endurance, prevents bone-thinning or osteoporosis. Importantly, it reduces blood pressure and blood sugar.
Exercise further stimulates the release of endorphins or the ?feel-good hormones?. Hence, it is one good antidote for depression. It is an established fact that depression increases the risk of heart attacks by 50% or even higher.
So, what exercise should you dig yourself into? For how long and how hard?
Of course, you need not be a gym addict to be fit. Generally, 30 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking, five times a week, or 20 minutes of more vigorous exercise, like cycling or jogging, thrice a week is recommended. Exercise need not be a humdrum, but rather, a pleasurable activity.
For those who have heart disease, a stress test may be needed so a safe level of exercise can be prescribed. Based on exercise test results, your attending physician will advise you on your corresponding physical activity level. While more isn?t necessarily better, none may be worse than you will ever imagine.
A little sweat a day can definitely work wonders. Investing in exercise not just for the short term but as regular daily routine is assured to give you the highest return: a healthy heart!
Dr. Ma. Belen Carisma is a cardiologist and president of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA). The Heart Line is a public awareness initiative of the PHA, in collaboration with pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme, which aims to promote awareness among Filipinos regarding the risk factors, preventive measures and treatment methods for cardiovascular diseases. For more information, visit www.philheart.org or e-mail secretariat@philheart.org.
