A healthy heart: Live longer, live better with exercise

The American Heart Association recommends adults fit in 150 minutes — or 2.5 hours — of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, or a combination of both per week.

Although this guideline has been in place for some time and the benefits of exercise are well-documented, only about one in five adults and teens get enough exercise each week.

With most of this age group struggling to incorporate an adequate amount of fitness into their daily lives, it begs the question just how important is that time at the gym for good health, especially heart health?

“Exercise is the best tool we have in the prevention of heart disease,” said Dr. Dan Sauri, medical director for noninvasive cardiology, Amita. Dr. Sauri said exercise is important for heart health because, in addition to many other benefits, it helps decrease modifiable risk factors that promote heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, inflammation, and high stress levels.

For starters, Dr. Sauri said exercise lowers your heart rate, which takes stress off the heart and lowers the amount of work your heart has to do to keep beating properly. Exercise is also known to lower blood pressure, which reduces stress on the heart, and reduces inflammation in the body. Since inflammation in the body has been linked to heart attacks, the less inflammation one has, the less likely he or she is to have a heart attack.

Additionally, one major component of developing an exercise routine is weight loss, which can improve heart health in those who are obese.

“For every 10 pounds lost, your systolic blood pressure goes down by five points,” said Dr. Sauri.

Beginning an exercise routine can help those who are already at risk for heart disease improve their health and minimize their risk. Incorporating fitness into your daily life before health issues arise can be even more beneficial. For example, Dr. Sauri said exercising regularly can reduce one's risk of developing diabetes by 50 percent.

Improving physical health isn't the only reason to exercise. Dr. Sauri said regularly working out helps reduce emotional stress as well. While that can have a positive impact on your mental health, having less stress can help your heart too. The fight or flight response to a stressful event increases the levels of cortisol flowing through your body, which in turn increases the stress placed on the heart. Incorporating exercise into your day is one way to decrease stress and improve your health in the process.

Knowing that exercise is good for your heart is the first step toward creating a healthier lifestyle. The second step is finding ways to make fitness part of your weekly routine.

“The most common error people make is that they go too fast,” said Dr. Sauri. “They're not patient with themselves and honest with their fitness level. Start slow and build to level you want to be at.”

7 tips to jump-starting a healthy fitness routine:

• Consult the experts. Before beginning any fitness plan or ramping up your current routine, consult a physician and personal trainer to make sure you're physically able to exercise. Talk with your doctor about how much and what type of exercise you should be doing. Approaching exercise safely and knowing what your body can and can't handle are necessary parts of any exercise program.

• Start slow. You don't have to run great distances or at an extremely fast pace for your heart to benefit from exercise. Consistently exercising for 30 minutes a day, five times a week at moderate intensity, will help. Any exercise that you enjoy and increases your heart rate will work. If you can't do 30 minutes straight in the beginning, that's OK. Do what you can and build from there.

• Find an exercise you like. You're more likely to exercise if you like the activity you're participating in. Try a few different activities to see what's best for you. Dr. Sauri suggests people try walking, running, biking, or swimming. Whatever exercise you choose, do it consistently.

“Heart health is about getting that uninterrupted 30 minutes of cardio in consistently,” said Michelle Jeeninga, a certified personal trainer at Push Fitness who is training Ed Poczatek during this year's Fittest Loser Challenge.

• Moderate exercise is all you need. You don't have to train for a marathon to reap the benefits of heart healthy exercise. Engaging in moderate aerobic activity that increases your heart rate at least five times a week can help improve your health.

Want to know if your exercise is intense enough to elevate your heart rate? Jeeninga says during moderate exercise you should be able to talk, but not sing.

Once you've got a good base and are ready to challenge yourself, mix up your cardio with high intensity interval training by incorporating several rounds of short and intense cardio into your routine.

• Incorporate strength training. Most people associate improving heart health with cardio exercises like running or swimming. While those activities definitely play a large role in heart health, strength training routines can benefit your heart as well.

Strength training improves the efficiency of oxygen utilization by the muscles which in turn makes the heart work less to provide that oxygen to the muscles.

Some of Jeeninga's favorite strength training exercises include squats, planks, push ups, and step ups.

“Modify the exercise based on skill level and heart health,” said Jeeninga. “For example, someone with a heart condition would modify a plank by doing it on an elevated surface like a bench instead of the floor.”

• Make exercise a part of your daily routine. In today's fast-paced world it can difficult to carve out time for fitness, but experts said making time to exercise a priority is key to improving your heart health.

Jeeninga encouraged people to look at exercise as another part of their daily routine, like brushing your teeth.

“Get it done first thing in the morning so you can check it off your list,” suggested Jeeninga.

• Start today. It's never too late to incorporate exercise into your life. Whether you're just starting out with a slow walk or ready to train for your first marathon, take the first step toward improving your cardiovascular health today.

• To see the Fittest Loser contestants' latest weight stats, visit pushfitnesstraining.com/fittest-loser/