Answer True or False:
1. The best way to have a healthy heart is to be painfully thin.
FALSE. The best way to have a healthy heart is to exercise regularly, eat a diet low in saturated (animal) fats and to not use any form of tobacco.
2. To receive any benefit from exercise, a person must run, jog or swim to the point of exhaustion, or 45 minutes, whichever comes first?
FALSE. You can benefit from as little as 30 minutes of exercise three time a week. If you are a couch potato, consult your physician before you start a strenuous exercise program. However, virtually anyone can start by walking 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at noon and 10 minutes in the evening. Don't use your inability to get in to see your physician as an excuse. Do 3x10 today and every day. Then tell your doctor what you're doing and let him tell you when it's safe to increase your level and duration.If you've had a heart attack or suffer angina and are seeing a cardiologist, it's important to follow your physician's advice. If you want to increase your exercise level above what your physician has outlined for you, a phone call will usually suffice. Almost every physician will return your call or have his or her physician's assistant, nurse practitioner or RN call you and talk to you about what's safe.
3. Once a heart artery is blocked, there's no hope at all.
FALSE. Often a regular aerobic exercise program causes the body to develop what's called collateral circulation. That means that other, smaller arteries take over for the blocked artery in delivery blood to heart muscle. Again, this is a benefit of regular, aerobic exercise, the kind you get from moving your legs and buttocks.
4. Small segments of exercise can add up to big benefits.
TRUE. Good news if you're just starting your exercise program. A recent study in Australia found that people who exercise in three 10-minute segments a day get the same health benefits as those who exercised in one 30-minute period each day. So, if you're thinking you can't block out a full half hour, make the little things count. The little things count:10 minute walk from car to shopping mall entrance and back
+ 7 minutes climbing stairs instead of taking the elevator
+a 13-minute walk to the end of the block and back
equals 30 minutes of exercise!
Some more little things Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. When you take the garbage out to the curb or to the alley, walk around the block. Each time you go shopping, park a little farther from the mall entrance. Turn off the TV and go for a 15 minute walk after dinner. Instead of going out for lunch, bring a healthy lunch to work and walk 20 minutes.
5. You must "work out" at 6:00 a.m. to get any exercise.
FALSE. Again, you can benefit from snippets of exercise throughout the day. As your physical condition improves, you may want to set aside a time during the day that you had previously wasted. For example, after you do the supper dishes, instead of watching TV, walk for 30 to 45 minutes. Your ultimate goal is to get 40 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise (e.g., walking, swimming, running, lawn mowing, bicycling) three times a week, four to five times a week if you've been diagnosed with heart disease. As always, check with your physician before exercising longer or more strenuously.
THE IMPACT OF EARLY TREATMENT | ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN HELP | HEALTHY HEART MAIN PAGE
© 1998 Prairie Public Broadcasting, Inc.