News & Events
This February 2022 we are celebrating the 57th American Heart Month and it is the perfect time to talk about the importance of cardiovascular health and fitness!
Let’s Talk Cardiovascular Disease
Physical inactivity in the general population has become an even greater problem since the initial outbreak of COVID-19 due to personal restrictions, canceled activities, and mandated quarantines. While we may be keeping safe from one threat, we are heading straight down the risky path towards another… cardiovascular disease (CVD). What is CVD? This broad category includes stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, venous disease, peripheral arterial disease, etc.
A 2021 report from the American Heart Association stated that cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In 2019, nearly 18.6 million people across the globe died of CVD. Currently in the US, an estimated 92.1 million adults have at least 1 type of CVD, and by 2030 it is projected that 43.9% of the adult population will have some form of CVD. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing CVD – even ranking similarly to smoking! In a 2019 study by Kivimäki et. al., physical inactivity was associated with 24% higher risk of coronary heart disease, 16% increased risk of stroke, and 42% higher risk of diabetes.
How to Improve Cardiovascular Health
Participating in regular physical activity has been shown to have a variety of health benefits including improving muscular and bone health, increasing your heart rate, strengthening your heart, and increasing blood circulation through your body, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to your organs. It helps maintain healthy body weight, reduce the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several cancers. According to Wahid et. al. 2016, a large-scale/long-term study came to the conclusion that performing the World Health Organization’s recommended weekly physical activity levels was associated with 17% lower risk of cardiovascular events, 23% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, and 26% lower incidence of type 2 diabetes. Regular physical activity can even improve mental health, quality of life, and overall well-being.
Despite it being very well documented, only 1 in 4 adults achieve the recommended amount of physical activity to maintain optimal health according to the WHO. The aim for adults 18 and older (this includes adults living with disability and chronic conditions) should be to complete at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 5 days a week; OR >150 minutes/week, accumulated in bouts of any size. How do you know you’re working at a moderate intensity? You feel warmer, are breathing faster, and your heart rate is raised. You should still be able to talk but you won’t be able to sing the words to a song. Follow this link to calculate your target and max heart rates during physical activity: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/heartrate.htm
Incorporating Physical Activity Into Your Daily Routine
Even though walking has been described as the “nearest activity to perfect exercise” by Morris and Hardman in 1997, it isn’t for everyone. There are SO MANY ways that you can incorporate physical activity into your routine that can be done at any skill level and for enjoyment by everybody. Other popular ways to be active include walking the dog, pushing a lawn mower, swimming, cycling (on your own or with the assistance of FES), wheeling, sports, yoga, dance, water aerobics, and strengthening with weights/resistance bands to list a few.
Don’t have time in your busy schedule? Plan a few brief “physical activity breaks” throughout the day! Or check out these ideas to sneak some activity into your busy day: https://youtu.be/61p1OIO20wk
How do you plan to improve your physical activity? Remember, ANY activity is better than none – aim for the recommended activity level but be as active as you are safely able!
For more information and a deeper dive into heart health, please check out the following links!
- CDC’s American Heart Month Toolkit 2022: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month.htm
- How to Be Physically Active While Social Distancing: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/how-to-be-physically-active-while-social-distancing.html
- ReWalk’s Topics in NeuroRehab Ep 28: Cardiovascular Fitness & Health Behavior Change Post Stroke: https://youtu.be/2dkbXoXps8o
Resources:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
Wahid, A, Manek, N, Nichols, M, et al. Quantifying the association between physical activity and cardiovascular disease and diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Heart Assoc 2016; 5: e002495. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epub/10.1161/JAHA.115.002495
Kivimäki, M, Singh-Manoux, A, Pentti, J, et al. Physical inactivity, cardiometabolic disease, and risk of dementia: An individual-participant meta-analysis. BMJ 2019; 365: l1495. https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1495
Morris JN, Hardman AE. Walking to health. Sports Med. 1997 May;23(5):306-32. doi: 10.2165/00007256-199723050-00004. Erratum in: Sports Med 1997 Aug;24(2):96. PMID: 9181668. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9181668/
