Excercise The Heart

Getting regular, meaningful exercise is good for your heart - plain and simple. Consider the benefits of a ticker that's ticking along at optimum pace.

In one minute, with 45 to 50 beats, the heart of a well-conditioned person pumps the same amount of blood as an inactive person's heart pumps in 70 to 75 beats.

The average heart pumps up to 36,000 more times per day than the well-conditioned one. That works out at a stunning 13 million more times per year.

Not only does exercise make your heart work more efficiently, it also guards it against disease. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease.

Studies have shown that heart disease is twice as likely to develop in inactive people as it is in active ones. Regular physical activity - even mild to moderate exercise - can help reduce your risk.

That regular activity will also burn kilojoules, which will help you lose weight or maintain a desirable weight. That in itself will lower your risk of heart disease.

The best forms of exercise to strengthen your heart and lungs are the aerobic ones, like swimming, cycling, jogging and brisk walking.

It's not just heart muscle and tissue that degenerates in humans - the arteries that serve the heart are also at risk, which in turn, puts the major organ in the firing line.

Here's where sensible diet and lifestyle come in. Combine the two and you're on your way to keeping your heart healthy.

Coronary artery disease is a major cause of heart attack all over the world. It develops when fatty deposits build up on the inner walls of the blood vessels feeding the heart.

Eventually one or more of the major coronary arteries may become blocked - either by the build-up of deposits or by a blood clot forming the artery's narrowed passageway. Eventually, the result is a heart attack.

But even if you have already developed heart disease or have had a heart attack, you should avoid inactivity.

Obviously, you will have to only exercise with the express permission and advice of your doctor, but unless you are in a dangerously, acutely volatile condition, most health professionals would tell you that your survival chances would increase with some form of activity.

Exercise can help control blood lipids, diabetes and obesity, as well as lower blood pressure. Exercise can help return your heart from a condition of disrepair to relative health.

If you are diabetic - or at risk of developing it - exercise can also decrease a person's need for insulin.

THE HEART DISEASE RISK FACTORS

Cigarette smoking: Heavy smokers are two to four times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. The heart attack death rate among all smokers is 70 per cent greater than non-smokers.

High Blood Pressure: The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of developing heart disease or stroke. A BP of 140/90 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) or greater is classified as high.

High Blood Cholesterol: A blood cholesterol level of 240 mg/dl (milligrams per decilitre) or above is high and increases your heart disease risk. Cholesterol in blood is transported by different agents. One is a protein called high density lipoprotein or HDL, which has been called "good" cholesterol because its presence has been linked with lower coronary artery disease risk.