Many people take no physical activity during a typical week. Physical inactivity is the most common risk factor for heart disease in the UK with 7 out of
10 women and 6 out of 10 men not active enough to achieve health benefits. If you have done less than 30 minutes of the sort of physical activity that
made you feel warm and slightly out of breath in the last week then you are physically inactive. It is estimated that in the UK, about 36% of deaths
from heart disease in men and 38% of deaths from heart disease in women are related to lack of physical activity as compared to only 19% of heart disease deaths being related to smoking.
The good news is that physical activity is one of the best preventative medicines. It halves the risk of developing heart disease and could save
9% of deaths from CHD if people who are currently physically inactive or have a light level of physical activity, increased their activity to a moderate
level. The heart is a muscle, the most important muscle we have and it needs exercise to keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently with each heartbeat.
On the next page are our tips for increasing your exercise levels. You can find out if lack of exercise is a heart disease risk factor for you by registering in The Healthy Heart Programme to create your own Heart Profile. If your profile shows that you do need to increase your level of exercise we'll provide further advice, ideas and offers to help you succeed. Click here to register. |
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Physical activity plays an important part in preventing heart disease by helping to:
- Lower high blood pressure and prevent high blood pressure from developing therefore reducing your risk of having a stroke.
- Increase HDL-cholesterol level (the good cholesterol) in the blood.
- Reduce your weight if you are overweight and helping to maintain it.
- Control blood sugar (glucose).
- Reduce your chance of developing diabetes.
- Prevent blood clotting.
Just getting moving everyday can also help you:
- Feel more energetic.
- Feel better about yourself.
- Relieve stress.
- Reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
- Relax.
- Lower the risk of osteoporosis.
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