Exercising For A Healthy Heart

If you exercise regularly, you may lower your risk of a heart attack
and stroke. If you're middle-aged or older and haven't been exercising
regularly or have a chronic health problem, work with your doctor to
develop an exercise programme. To condition your heart safely:

*.Start at a comfortable level of exertion:Try walking five to 10
minutes over a short distance indoors. Increase five minutes a
session, as tolerated.

*.Schedule regular exercise:Aim for 30 to 60 minutes a day of low- to
moderate-intensity physical activity.

*.Include variety:Combine three types of exercise - stretching
(flexibility), endurance (aerobic) and strengthening (weight training)
- and three levels of intensity - warm-up, workout level and cool-down
- in each exercise session.

*.Cross-train to reduce your risk of injury:Alternate among exercises
that emphasise different parts of the body, such as swimming,
bicycling and walking.

*.Don't overdo it:Start slowly and build up gradually, allowing time
between sessions for your body to rest and recover. And forget the
saying "No pain, no gain." A little muscle soreness when you do
something new isn't unusual, but soreness doesn't equal pain. If it
hurts, stop doing it.

*.Increase your physical activity: Even routine activities such as
gardening, climbing stairs or washing floors can burn calories and
help improve your health, although not at the same level as a
structured exercise programme.

Just keep moving:Walk or bike to the store instead of driving, park
farther away at the shopping mall, take the stairs instead of an
elevator.

--mayoclinic.com