Is Your Heart at Risk?

I was actually writing this article when the news of Brittany Murphy came in that she passed away from cardiac arrest. The fact that she was 32 is disheartening as well as the fact that she was someone we admired for her work. The one thing that is misunderstood about cardiac arrest is the fact that anyone of us could end up going down the same road.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the pumping action to the heart fails which results in loss of consciousness and absence of pulse and breathing. With this being said I will explain to you the different ways you can prevent your heart from going into failure. Of course there are no guarantees, especially if heart problems are hereditary in your family. However, wouldn't you want to fight to avoid any extra risk you might add to your heart?

I'm sure that most people that are in their late 20's have heard that story about their parents. It usually starts with when I was your age.....as annoying as this sounds to most of us they didn't have the physical problems that we are facing today. They didn't spend hours in front of the television they spent most of their time outside playing, not to mention having to walk to school in the snow storms!!

Physical activity is far from what it used to be. We don't spend nearly enough time exercising our bodies the way that we should. This is becoming a serious problem for our health, even if you're at a healthy weight you're still at risk for having heart problems.

According to Centers for Disease Control & Prevention 55% of Americans do not engage in the proper amount of physical activity needed to keep a healthy body. 25% of Americans do not engage in any physical activity whatsoever. With numbers like these it's no wonder that Nintendo has been coming out with interactive games to get kids and adults off the couch and moving again.

Physical activity can be contributed in many different ways. If you actually stop and think about your day you are engaging in activity just not enough of it. Telling yourself that you don't have enough time in the day is only going to cost you your health. Is that something that you can afford to lose?? If you are struggling with that thought go through your day and see where you can make changes. 30 minutes a day really isn't that much time at all and although it would be ideal to group the minute's together if you can't then try and break it up.

Look at where you park when you're going places or taking an elevator vs. the stairs? Adding extra walking time will help with your physical activity. Adding physical activity to your daily routine will help to improve your overall physical fitness. Your level of physical fitness will depend on such physiological factors like the heart's ability to pump blood. To reach a certain level of physical fitness you'll need to perform enough physical activities to stress the body which will cause long-term physiological changes. Being consist with a daily routine will only help you get stronger along the way.

30 minutes a day is what is recommended for keeping an ideal body weight. So if you're at a healthy weight now then 30 minutes a day will be sufficient enough. If you're looking to lose weight you would need to increase your time to 45 to 60 minutes per day. In addition to your moderate physical activity you should be adding strength training (using resistant band or weights) to your routine twice a week. This helps build muscle strength which you also need for everyday life (lifting, cleaning, etc.).
The exercise schedule above is just a rough idea of what your body need in terms of exercise. Every person and body structure is different and of course the amount of physical activity you can do will also depend on your health as well. If you are not physically able to exercise very much low levels of activity can still provide health benefits but won't help in the fitness area. If you're able to build up to a moderately longer activity it will help with your health as well as increase your fitness significantly. Being able to exercise regularly not only will it help with your general health but help your body fight chronic diseases. There are a lot more advantages to exercising regularly than only getting into shape it's also could save your life! Don't forget that physical activity can be fun, think of things that you enjoy doing and start on your healthy path.