HEALTH - ~ Pick up the pace

Why exercise is important for the heart.

My Grandpa lived to be a healthy 89 years; and evenin his 80s he would
walk almost 15 km up and down to collect his pension. Of course this
was20 years ago. Today it is impossible to walk so much considering
the pollution, traffic, weather... But how many of us even walk to the
shop down thestreet? We would rather waste time searching for the bike
keys than walk.
This is not about living longer; it's about living healthier. It is
not uncommon to hear of young people in their thirties die of heart
attack all thanks to stress, inactivity and hypertension.
Special muscle
Our heart is a special type of muscle called the myocardium and, like
any other muscle, it requires itsdose of exercise or
cardio-respiratory training. This also improves the efficiency of the
lungs. Brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling or any rhythmic
movement that uses the larger muscles groups and can elevate theheart
rate and keep it up done over an extended period of time (say 20-40
min) is called cardio-respiratory training or aerobic training (with
the help of oxygen).
The average heart rate for an individual is 72 beats per minute.
During cardio training the pulse is pushed higher levels keeping the
age factor in mind.
For example, during a briskwalk, the first source of energy for the
working muscle is glucose from the blood. Once the sugar levels are
exhausted, energy is got from the stored fat. However, for this,
oxygen is essential because only oxygen breaks down stored fat into
energy. As the body asks for more oxygen while exercising, the demand
is sent to the heart. The heart starts pumping faster to demand oxygen
from the lungs. This entire exchange forcesthe lungs and the heart to
become extremely efficientso that the working musclecan continue
exercising. The end result: a healthy heart and lungs.
The right level
But it is very important to understand that each one of us has
different levels of fitness and different goals. So performing the
right exercise for the right number of days in the righttime at the
right intensity is the key. As a beginner, introduce cardio activity
three times a week. As activity levels increase, gradually go to five
sessions a week. The duration initially can be 20 minutes (even 10
minutes is good enough for a complete beginner) and increased to 30,
40 and 60 minutes in about two to four weeks.
How hard to exercise (the intensity) has to be kept in mind during a
cardio workout. One easy methodis that the heart rates should be
elevated to 60 to 90 per cent of the age predicted maximum heart rate.
Don't worry; it's not as bad as that sounds. The maximum heart rate is
220bpm (beats per minute) forall. So if you are 30 years old then
220-30 = 190. A beginner would start at 60 per cent intensity which
means 60 per cent of 190 =114 bpm.
So pick up a heart rate monitoring watch, strap it on, calculate your
exercise heart rate, and hit the road, cycle, gym, pool... anywhere as
long it's somewhere other than the couch.
Walk right
Walk with chin up and lookforward
Keep neck and shoulders relaxed
When stepping forward, plant heels first, then roll through with body weight
Swing arms with bent elbows up to chest level
Hold tummy muscles tight
Don't take long strides to avoid knee pain
Breathe deeply from stomach if possible but don't inhale through mouth/