For advertising information call 859.368.0778 or email [email protected] | February 2016
ADVICE FROM YOUR
&
23
LOCAL DOC
Exercise Your Heart
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START A NEW FITNESS REGIMEN
By Dr. Wesley
Johnson,
Family Practice
Associates of
Lexington, P.S.C.
The heart is a
muscle. So, like all muscles, it will
benefit from exercise.
Aerobic activity is the best type
of exercise for your heart because it
improves the heart’s ability to deliver
oxygen to your muscles by making
the heart and lungs work harder
than when they are at rest. The
heart becomes stronger and works
more efficiently, leading to increased
endurance and reduced oxygen
demand.
The American Heart Association
(www.heart.org) recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. This works
out to 30 minutes a day, five days a
week. (Preferably, you will strive to
exercise every day.) Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, jogging,
biking or swimming, as well as doing
yard work or household tasks. The
objective is to get your heart rate to
100 beats per minute for the duration of the routine.
It is best if you do at least 30
minutes all at once. Any additional
exercise is also beneficial. You can
fit more in by climbing the stairs
at work or parking farther from the
entrance to the mall or grocery store.
To develop overall stamina, flexibility and fitness, add some strengthening and stretching exercises to your
regimen.
For people who have been sedentary and are determined to get
into shape in this New Year, walking
is usually the best way to start. It is
low impact and all you need are a
good pair of shoes. If you don’t like
to exercise alone, find a walking
buddy – the four-legged variety are
always ready to take a stroll. If you
have joint problems or arthritis, you
might want to try swimming, which
puts no strains on your joints, or a
recumbent bike.
How can you tell if perhaps you
are overdoing things? When you
are walking briskly, it should be difficult but not impossible to carry on
a conversation. If you have trouble
breathing or feel pain or pressure in
your chest or the upper part of your
body, stop at once and seek medical
attention. Other warning signs you
should not ignore include breaking
into a cold sweat, feeling dizzy or
lightheaded or having a very fast or
irregular heart rate. Your exercise
program should invigorate you, not
exhaust you. As you get more fit,
you’ll find you can increase your
duration, distance and intensity, but
be sure to do so gradually. When you
first sta