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HeartSmart First in a series A guide to better health with the AHA

Pulse check

USA WEEKEND Magazine's FitSmart columnist compares notes with an American Heart Association expert and top cardiologist on how exercise and fitness can pump up your cardiovascular health.

Jorge Cruise: Cardiovascular health is really the secret to energy, to feeling vibrant and having endurance, whether you're going up a flight of stairs or playing with your kids.

Gerald Fletcher: Cardiologists look at physical activity as a way to reduce the risk factors for heart attack. Aerobic exercise improves your blood glucose, blood lipids like cholesterol, and blood pressure. Studies show proper exercise can give more years of life to people who have had heart attacks or bypass surgery and can reduce the likelihood that their symptoms will recur.

JC: Aerobic exercise means movements that require you to breathe -- deeply -- and get oxygen into your system. The key word is oxygen. Walking is great. Or swimming, running with your kids or on a treadmill, biking, playing tennis -- anything where you are breathing deeply.

GF: The American Heart Association recommends 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, on most or all days of the week. The more you do and the more vigorously you do it, the better. But anything you do is better than nothing at all, and walking is a great way to start.

JC: I think the guidelines are wonderful. The human body is designed for movement. Our ancestors were so active, and there is really no way to break the body by moving too much. But the reality is, no one has time for more exercise, let alone the guideline amounts.

With my first exercise book, 8 Minutes in the Morning, I created a beginner's plan. Working with thousands of my online clients, I determined it was doable, and there were benefits. Of course, if you did more, there were more benefits, but doing at least eight minutes consistently, every day, added great benefits. My goal is that people get addicted to the eight minutes and then move on to 30 minutes, and eventually even more.

GF: Exactly. Starting slowly and gradually adding in more time and higher intensity levels is a great way to ease into exercise. One important thing to note, though, is that if you have been diagnosed with heart disease -- or think you might have risk factors -- you should check with your doctor before starting any exercise plan. Some people may be advised to take a treadmill stress test to find out how well their heart handles physical exertion.

JC: And in the meantime, try "stealth" exercise: Take the stairs, park farther from the store entrance, stand up straight, squat while brushing your teeth. Our grandparents didn't have treadmills and they didn't have gyms, but they were a fit generation. Weave exercise into your life so it is effortless. That said, I am also a big advocate of doing strength training.

GF: Definitely. The American Heart Association recommends that people do resistance training two or three times a week.

Strength training helps you perform aerobic activities more effectively. I have older patients who were not very strong, but when they added some resistance exercise, they were better able to exercise aerobically because their muscles got stronger. If you have never done resistance training with machines or free weights, you may want to consult a professional trainer who can help you learn how to perform weight training correctly.

JC: The thing that helps people be the most successful in the long term is goals. The first thing to getting motivated is to establish a target. Get specific.

GF: Yes, and take responsibility for your own health. Being physically active should be a high priority. And it should be a life-long commitment you choose to make. What you do may change with age, but staying physically active is key to living a long and healthy life.

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YOUR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH ROAD MAP
Dr. Fletcher and Jorge Cruise recommend:

1. Set a fitness goal.
Make the goals as specific as possible: How long will you exercise? How hard? How often? Focus on how achieving those goals will improve your life. Use a journal to record your goals and your progress toward them.

2. Create a daily exercise plan that you'll stick to long-term because it fits into your life.
Begin slowly, at a low level of intensity, and build up gradually to 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. You can break the activities into shorter intervals, such as taking two 30-minute walks or even doing four different 15-minute activities instead of taking one 60-minute walk.

3. Stay committed!
Many people find it helps to share their fitness goals with a friend or family member. Online communities also can provide support.

To learn more about becoming physically active, visit the American Heart Association's website at americanheart.org.

Next month
HeartSmart: Nutrition's role