Physical activity helps to burn calories, increase the heart rate, and keep blood flowing at a healthy rate. A regular exercise routine may reduce the risk of stroke, which is the fourth-leading cause of death in America. Studies have also shown that patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be successfully treated with supervised exercise therapy (SET) and possibly avoid interventions, which are risky and expensive. Regular physical exercise also decreases the growth rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of physical activity per week for adults aged 18-64. The activity can be a combination of moderate-intensity aerobics and strength training and should continue for at least 10 minutes at a time.
Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities that increase the heart rate and cause sweating include:
- Walking briskly (about a mile in 15 minutes)
- Riding a bicycle at a casual pace (slower than 10 miles an hour)
- Water aerobics
- Ballroom dancing
- Playing doubles tennis
- Actively playing with children
- Mowing the lawn
- Gardening, raking or batting leaves
Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities that increase the heart rate, cause sweating and heavy breathing that limits talking, include:
- Race walking, jogging or running
- Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
- Riding a bicycle fast or riding hills more than 10 mph
- Swimming laps
- Playing singles tennis
- Playing basketball, football, soccer etc.
- Jumping rope
- Aerobic dancing
- Heavy gardening
Examples of twice-weekly muscle strengthening activities include:
- Sit-ups, push-ups
- Weightlifting
- Yoga
- Heavy gardening such as digging and shoveling
A lack of regular physical activity results in 250,000 deaths annually according to her 2003 report in the medical journal Circulation. People who are the least physically fit have a mortality risk 4.5 times higher than physically fit people.
BIO: Dr. Aparajita is a fellowship-trained vascular and endovascular surgeon. She is a co-author of 20-plus journal articles and publications and was recently nominated for an Inspiration Award by the American Medical Association.
This column is sponsored by KSC Cardiology, and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFHN or its advertisers.