Fitness – The Heart of the Matter

Experts from the fields of health and fitness agree that whichever way you want to do it – walking out of doors, treadmill or bicycling, aerobic exercise is great for the heart. There is also mounting evidence to suggest that resistance or weights training that enhances flexibility and so on, is also very important; it being a case of ‘survival of the fittest’ in the most literal sense!

aerobic exerciseAccording to Dr. Barry Franklin, director of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan and spokesperson for the American Heart Association, there is very definite evidence of the fact that those who are active have only half the chance of developing heart disease when compared to other individuals with sedentary lives.

It is a simple equation according to Dr Franklin – Higher the fitness, Lower the Mortality since heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women.

There are more and more recent studies that suggest the importance of supplementing a cardiovascular workout with resistance training – this helps the body build lean muscle which in turn helps the body burn calories even while at rest.

The workout should take into account a person’s age for which the following formula should be used – a desired heart rate to achieve is 220 minus the age of the exerciser.