How to protect your heart with physical activity

Physical activity is truly a boon for heart health. Here’s what to do to make the most of the benefits of this prevention tool. Physical activity is an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases that affect the heart and arteries. Years of research clearly show that exercise induces structural changes in the heart muscle, helping protect it from damage caused by ischemia, among other benefits. Physical activity helps remodel blood vessels, improves cardiorespiratory health and muscle strength (two factors linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular events), and has a positive effect on metabolism.

Both aerobic exercise — which requires oxygen consumption, such as running, swimming, and cycling — and strength training — more focused on increasing muscle mass, like weightlifting — have favorable effects on cardiovascular risk factors even in those at higher risk of heart and blood vessel problems, such as people with type 2 diabetes or those with high cholesterol or triglycerides. Here’s how to practice physical activity so the heart benefits.

Recommendations for healthy hearts

The general advice to improve heart health and prevent cardiovascular disorders is to get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity. More specifically, it is recommended to perform at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days a week. Alternatively, you can do 25 minutes of intense aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week, for a total of at least 75 minutes of physical activity every 7 days.

Aerobic activity should be combined with exercises aimed at strengthening muscles, to be done at moderate to high intensity at least 2 days a week. Practically speaking, aerobic activity means doing simple exercises such as walking, running, cycling, taking the stairs, or swimming. Team sports are also fine, but it’s not necessary to join courses or gyms: even a brisk walk in the park helps achieve the weekly goal.

Specific advice for those at higher risk

However, when some cardiovascular risk factors are already present, these recommendations may change slightly. For example, those needing to lower blood cholesterol should engage in at least 40 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise 3 or 4 days a week to burn at least 900 Kcal per week through physical activity. Adding strength training may help raise HDL (High Density Lipoproteins, the so-called “good cholesterol”).

The American Heart Association recommends at least 40 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity aerobic physical activity 3-4 days a week even in cases of high blood pressure. The European Society of Cardiology recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days a week, suggesting stepping up to intense activity for those at low cardiovascular risk. The best way to know what suits your case is to consult your doctor. In case of obesity, physical activity should be combined with an appropriate diet to promote weight loss.

To maximize calories burned through physical activity, moderate-to-intense exercise 3-5 days a week is recommended. Combining this with some strength training helps increase basal metabolism and improve HDL levels. Finally, even people with type 2 diabetes should stay active by walking at least 30 minutes 5 days a week but should also practice additional physical activity as agreed with their doctor.

Sources: American Heart Association. American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults. https://goo.gl/ZXvct4. 04/06/18 ESC – European Society of Cardiology. Physical exercise - How to prescribe exercise for optimal cardiovascular risk factor control. https://goo.gl/zwEipd. 04/06/18 Tikkanen E et al. Associations of Fitness, Physical Activity, Strength, and Genetic Risk With Cardiovascular Disease: Longitudinal Analyses in the UK Biobank Study. Circulation. 2018 Apr 9. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032432 Image: Pixabay