Exercise: One of the best medicines for your heart

We all know that exercise is good for us.  But a new systematic review shows that regular exercise can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk factors, which ultimately reduces the risks of dying from heart disease.

The review spells out detailed evidence about how much exercise is needed to improve cardiovascular health, and which populations benefit the most.  Here are some of the take-home messages that I found most interesting:

• The more your exercise, the more you reduce your risk of heart disease.  An individual  who moves from moderate levels of exercise to high levels sees a corresponding reduction in risk.
• There is a strong relationship between low levels of physical activity and death from cardiovascular disease.  In other words, if you don’t exercise at all, you’re more likely to die of heart disease.
• Even if you suffer from other risk factors, such as diabetes or obesity, exercising still reduces your risk of dying from heart disease.
• People who are thin and don’t exercise are at a higher risk for heart disease.

But how much exercise is needed to produce health benefits?  It may be more than you think.

The authors suggest it requires aerobic exercise at a moderate intensity – where you can have a conversation, but you may need to pause in between phrases to catch your breath – for a minimum of 30 minutes, four to five times per week.  In addition, they recommend resistance training, such as lifting weights, using 8 to 10 different exercises that target the whole body two to three times each week.

The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability provides a wonderful summary of the full review in its February newsletter.

The bottom line:  exercising improves cardiovascular fitness and reduces your risk of heart disease. One of the best things you can do for your heart is to get moving.