Body in Motion
One of the best ways to strengthen the heart and stave off heart disease is through aerobic training.
The word "aerobic" means "with oxygen." Aerobic exercises are those that engage large muscle groups and use oxygen as the fuel for repetitive activity that is maintained, for at least 20 to 30 minutes, such as the motion required for walking or swimming. Over time, aerobic exercise can help decrease your heart rate and blood pressure and improve breathing.113
Training the heart to use oxygen more efficiently is especially important for heart disease patients because aerobic capacity has been decreased by disease; that is, it takes more effort to do simple physical tasks. When the body's ability to transport and deliver oxygen is enhanced, people have added energy and less fatigue, which is often the result of a fitness routine.114
On a physical level, aerobic training can help reverse the abnormal production of certain hormones, released by nerves that may result in the symptoms of heart failure. After a cardiac event, the body produces specific hormones to help maintain the heart's ability to pump blood. This creates a hormone imbalance that in the long term can lead to a variety of heart problems such as fluid build up and irregular heart rhythms.115
It's been shown that patients who recently have been diagnosed with heart disease who participated in exercise programs reported their functional capacity and self-confidence improved, their stress was lowered, and their sense of well-being increased.113
Heart patients who are physically active may experience fewer occurrences of chest pain, which is caused by lack of oxygen to the heart, and a reduced build up of plaque (hardened deposits that form on the inner walls of blood vessels).113,116
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