Decameron On Cardiovascular Health Part 5: Exercise: Exercise is Good Medicine

1. The Harm of Lack of Physical Activity to the Cardiovascular System

Lack of physical activity will bring about a series of Health problems, including weight gain, increased metabolic cardiovascular disease, etc., and is a major risk factor leading to cardiovascular disease death and increased disease burden. For people who already have cardiovascular disease or have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, a lack of physical activity is harmful to correcting risk factors, relieving pain, and recovering physical functions.

2. Lack of Definition of Physical Activity

Lack of physical activity usually refers to sedentary behavior, that is, staying in a sitting, semi-recumbent, or lying position for a long time while awake. In this case, the energy consumption is very small and is only slightly higher than the body's basal metabolism. Walking less than 5,000 steps per day is also considered equivalent to being sedentary.

3. Exercise is a Good Medicine And Has Many Benefits.

Any muscle activity that consumes energy is physical activity, and planned, targeted, and repeated physical activity is exercise. Regular exercise can bring all-round benefits to the human body. In the short term, it can reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and lower blood pressure; long-term persistence can improve cardiopulmonary function, increase muscle strength, and reduce overall fatigue by 20% to 30%. Death from death and cardiovascular disease.

4. Four Basic Elements of Exercise

Exercise exercise includes the following four elements: frequency, intensity, duration, and form, which respectively represent: the number of exercises per week (frequency), exercise energy consumption level or fatigue level (intensity), exercise duration (duration), and exercise methods (if any). Aerobic walking, running, or resistance exercise such as weight lifting (forms). A standardized exercise plan should scientifically define these four elements and form a formal exercise prescription. Exercise as prescribed is more effective and safer. This is particularly important for patients with cardiovascular disease and needs to be evaluated and formulated in professional institutions.

5. Target Level of Physical Activity

To achieve the goal of reducing cardiovascular disease, the current consensus is that adults aged 18-64 who have no activity restrictions should have an exercise goal of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercise (endurance exercise) per week. ), allocate it to 5 days a week, preferably 7 days a week. It can also take the form of a combination of medium intensity and high intensity. It should be noted that the daily exercise goal is best completed at one time. If it needs to be completed in stages, ensure that each stage of exercise lasts at least 10 minutes.

 In addition to aerobic exercise, it is also recommended to perform muscle strength exercises (resistance exercises) for large muscle groups (upper and lower limbs, waist, abdomen, and back) twice a week. The recommended amount of activity for people aged 65 and above is the same as before. Special recommendations are to carry out activities to improve balance ability and prevent falls. There is no limit to the form of aerobic activities. You can choose walking, running, swimming, gymnastics, dancing, etc. according to your personal hobbies, physical condition, and venue convenience.

6. Definition of Moderate-Intensity Activities

Activity intensity is the core component of exercise. Ordinary healthy people can refer to the table below to grasp exercise intensity. A simple example: a walking speed of 4.8 to 6.5 kilometers per hour, or when you feel your breathing speeds up during activity but can still speak complete sentences, etc. are considered moderate intensity. For people with cardiovascular disease or other diseases, it is recommended to conduct a 6-minute walk test, exercise stress test, or cardiopulmonary exercise test in a medical institution to determine the optimal activity intensity.

7. Increase Your Activity Level And Don’t Forget to Pay Attention to Daily Physical Activities.

The basic goals of physical activity in adults are to increase activity and decrease sedentary time. People who cannot participate in regular exercise for various reasons should pay attention to daily physical activities, including leisure activities, transportation, professional activities, housework, games, etc. There are benefits to just being active, and even small amounts of moderate or high-intensity physical activity can provide health benefits, especially for sedentary adults. A recent study has proven that household tasks such as cooking, washing dishes, and mopping the floor are good for your health and can extend your life. Therefore, you might as well do more housework at ordinary times. If you sit for a long time at work, get up and move around every 30 minutes or get up and move around for 10 minutes every hour.

8. Is It Better To Exercise More?

Within a certain range, the greater the amount of activity, the greater the benefit. Evidence shows that increasing from 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week to >300 minutes per week, or >150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity, can further reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, as activity levels are further increased to extremely high levels, existing research has not found additional benefits.

9. Exercise is Risky, so You Should Do It Step By Step And Make Cardiovascular Assessments In Advance.

Tragedy occurs in nearly every marathon, highlighting the risks of high-intensity activities. A considerable proportion of risk comes from cardiovascular factors, and there is no doubt that exercise promotes cardiovascular disease. During exercise: Sympathetic nerve activity increases, heart rate increases, blood pressure increases and myocardial oxygen consumption increases, which can lead to myocardial ischemia; ion imbalance and catecholamine levels increase in the body, and cardiac electrical activity is unstable and prone to arrhythmia; plaque instability, Easily ruptured, increased risk of blood clots. Immediately after exercise ceases, arteries dilate and venous return decreases, leading to hypotension and myocardial ischemia. Therefore, everyone should understand that the development of exercise habits must abide by the principle of gradual progress. There are generally no restrictions on medium- and low-intensity exercise, but high-intensity exercise cannot be done all at once. It needs to be emphasized that sedentary people and people with cardiovascular diseases or risk factors should go to the hospital for necessary cardiovascular examinations before engaging in high-intensity exercise to assess whether they are suitable for high-intensity exercise to avoid adverse consequences.

10. Exercise Precautions for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

Strengthening exercise is the core of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with cardiovascular disease and an important method to help functional recovery and return to normal life. Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, post-stent surgery, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and post-cardiac surgery can be alleviated and improved through cardiac rehabilitation based on exercise, which can reduce stent implantation, reduce re-hospitalization, and prolong the life of the disease. life. Of course, patients with cardiovascular disease need to undergo formal evaluation and exercise in accordance with the exercise prescriptions issued by cardiovascular doctors and avoid under-exercise and over-exercise. During exercise, necessary monitoring is also required, and you can choose an agency that provides home rehabilitation guidance to get help.