Exercise for a Healthy Heart

July 7, 2009 by  
Filed under Heart Disease

Heart disease is the biggest killer known in the United States of America today and this is sad because heart disease cannot be prevented. With proper exercise and a proper diet, however, heart disease never would have occurred in the first place. With this in mind, if the diagnosis says you have heart disease, you can still get advantages by exercising daily and opting for a better diet. Some things must be taken into consideration, however, to make sure that you don’t exercise your way to a heart attack.

A lot of heart disease patients seem to collect fat in their abdomen, waist, and hips. The majority of doctors measure the body mass index and skin folds of a person to see the heart disease risk factors of a person. These researches have shown that exercise can lessen the fat in the abdomen, though these cannot always be seen.

Studies have shown that adding resistance training and aerobic exercise can greatly lessen one’s body fat, although it is not entirely noticeable in the beginning since the fat deep inside is burned before the surface of the abdomen. Both resistance training and aerobic exercise must work hand in hand, however, in order to lose muscle mass; strength training does not seem to melt as much belly fat as required. Together, though, they do very well in reducing heart disease risk factors.

If a doctor has already diagnosed you with heart disease, you should know that your health is already entirely compromised at the moment. Because of this, you must diligently follow an exercise routine, preferably with some supervision in order to make sure you don’t go over the top. It is still feasible to work things out through a personal trainer without the use of drug therapy, but your trainer must know your complete medical history on heart disease.

If you are already medicated, however, you will have to join an exercise program that is medically supervised. These can be found in clinics or hospitals, especially for those who suffer from heart disease. Medical supervision is always recommended, no matter what kind of heart disease you suffer from.

Once you have been diagnosed with heart disease and a diet and exercise routine has been implemented, you may not need medical supervision at all. Just ask about your limitations and what exercises would be ideal for your health, taking your heart disease and capabilities into consideration.

You will be given exercise guidelines that you should really adhere to once given. Take time to stretch and warm up properly when doing the exercises and cool your way back down the right way at all times.

Keep in sync with your body. If you realize you are losing breath while exercising, take a break and make a mental note of it. If you start experiencing any symptoms of heart disease whatsoever, such as chest pain, nausea, or dizziness, stop and look for medical attention. If you work out safely, then you can definitely reverse your heart disease.