Get Moving, Have Some Fun, and Your Heart Will Thank You

“Exercise” is an eight-letter word. Does that make it twice as bad as a four-letter word?

If you find exercise unappealing, the answer may be yes. But we’d like to shatter the myth that strenuous exercise is necessary to benefit your heart. Recent research has revealed that enjoyable leisure activities will do the job just fine.

"The bottom line is if you choose an activity you enjoy, you are more likely to do it regularly," says Gordon Blackburn, Ph.D., director of the Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation Program at Cleveland Clinic.

Just Enjoy Yourself
Gardening, dancing, golfing, walking and other leisure activities can reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), concluded a study in the August 5, 2008, Circulation. Strenuous exercise did not necessarily produce the same benefit.

An irregular heart rhythm, AF increases the risk of stroke. After age 65, the incidence of AF grows two percent per year, likely due to high blood pressure, heart failure, valve disease, prior heart attack or other condition that compromises the heart.

Regular physical activity may lower the risk of AF by lowering blood pressure, weight and heart rate and by regulating glucose control. It also prevents the arteries from becoming stiff, enhances the ability of heart muscle cells to process calcium and encourages stem cells to migrate from the bone marrow to the circulation, where they promote the growth of small blood vessels in the heart muscle and repair damaged endothelium.

The authors of the Circulation study found that light to moderate exercise was safe and protective in patients with conditions that increase the risk of AF, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease.

"The cardiac benefits of high-intensity exercise are not greater than those obtained with moderate exercise. In fact, intensive exercise increases the risk of AF in older people," says Dr. Blackburn.

Losing Weight and Looking Great
Regular physical activity can also help you lose weight and keep it off. A study in the July 2008 Archives of Internal Medicine found that overweight women who want to lose weight must be physically active 55 minutes a day for five days a week, in addition to restricting calorie intake.

Before you throw in the towel, finish reading this. The study participants were divided into groups by exercise intensity, ranging from moderate (burning 1,000 calories weekly) to vigorous (burning 2,000 calories weekly). The women who exercised moderately lost the same amount of body weight as those who exercised hard, and maintained the same amount of weight loss at 24 months. But it doesn’t mean that a leisurely stroll will produce quick results.

"Weight loss requires calorie expenditure. Exercising at a lower intensity means you have to put more time into the activity to expend those calories. If you walk at a leisurely pace for five hours a week, you might not use up 1,500 calories, and you may have to walk longer or ramp up the intensity," says Dr. Blackburn.

Choosing Your Exercise
Although any exercise that raises your heart rate is okay with Dr. Blackburn, he is a big fan of walking. "Walking is great. It’s easy, free and requires no special equipment," he says.

For people with arthritis, he suggests an upright cycle; for those with spinal stenosis, a semi-recumbent cycle. If the range of motion required by the pedals hurts your knees, try water-walking. If you have suffered a stroke or are confined to a wheelchair, he suggests finding a health club with a recumbent machine. This piece of exercise equipment enables you to sit in a chair and move your arms back and forth as if using an elliptical machine.

Reaping the Benefits
In addition to protecting your heart, exercise can help keep you young. Studies have shown exercise decreases protein turnover throughout the body, slowing the aging process. Moreover, every 10-pound weight loss will lower your blood pressure, blood glucose level and triglycerides, and can lower your total cholesterol.

Now that it’s clear that regular, light to moderate activity can improve your health and physical appearance, what are you waiting for?

Your Health and Mine