Heart attack risks: The 10 easy exercises to reduce the risk of a heart attack

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Exercise prevents a whole range of illnesses and diseases, so it’s important for everyone to do as much as they can to keep fit and healthy. Heart attacks and diseases of the heart are more likely if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, but being active can reduce your risk of developing some heart and circulatory diseases by as much as 35 percent. Here are the 10 exercises to reduce the likelihood of a heart attack.

If you don’t move your body very often or you’re an inactive person, lots of fatty material will build up in your arteries.

When this happens, the arteries can become blocked and blood cannot get to your organs such as your heart.

Blocked arteries can cause a heart attack, but they can also cause a stroke if the arteries that carry blood to your brain get blocked.

Luckily, a little bit of exercise can significantly reduce the risk of this happening.

According to the British Heart Foundation, regular physical activity can:

  • helps control your blood pressure and keep it within healthy levels
  • raises your levels of good cholesterol, and reduces the bad cholesterol
  • can help to control your blood glucose levels, reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes
  • increases the number of calories you burn and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
  • Helps your general wellbeing by boosting your mood, improving your concentration and memory, and helping you sleep better.

The 10 exercises to reduce the likelihood of a heart attack

The type of exercise you do to get your blood pumping around your body and reduce the risk of a heart attack doesn’t really matter, it’s more about how much you do.

The British Heart Foundation recommends doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.

The advice reads: “To reduce your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, you need to be active every day.

“This is anything that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster and feel warmer, like brisk walking or cycling.

“You can spread out the 150 minutes over the week. You can even do short bursts of activity – every minute counts.”

The BHF recommends the following six things as adequate forms of exercise (to contribute towards your 150 minutes a week):

  • Take up a sport
  • Go for a walk
  • Start cycling
  • Mow the lawn
  • Vacuum
  • Dance along to music

On top of your heart-raising activities, you should try to do some muscle-strengthening activities at least two times a week.

The BHF suggests the following as simple forms of strength training:

  • Using hand weights
  • Climbing the stairs
  • Gardening such as digging
  • Carrying heavy shopping

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