As cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues
to be a global epidemic, it has become a popular subject for many researchers. Most
of the peer-reviewed articles in exercise physiology journals focus on the benefits
of exercise for cardiovascular health.
The majority of the articles are primary research studies
that have analyzed theories of the benefits of exercise in the prevention of CVD
using quantitative data.
The Conversation
Between Researchers
Researchers around
the whole globe develop new studies and test different methods to evaluate the
strong connection between physical activities and heart health. The results of
findings and new methods are presented in scholarly articles. This is how researchers
transmit their knowledge to their main audience, such as healthcare
professionals. Health providers keep their knowledge current by reading articles in medical journals and they become responsible for spreading and
translating this knowledge into practice.
Healthcare providers prescribe a medication and treatment
plan to the public. This guidance will not provide good results without the
commitment of patients. Patients are responsible for making a healthy change
towards their wellness. Everyone can be in charge of his/her heart health with a
lifelong commitment to an effective exercise program. In a general sense,
the health of our heart is in our hands and we can stop the epidemic of CVD
when the majority of people adopts an active lifestyle.
What
Is CVD?
The cardiovascular
system, also called the circulatory system, consists of blood vessels and the
heart. Its main purpose is to supply the body with blood. There are many types
of CVD, such as the following: myocardia infarction, atherosclerosis,
arrhythmia, valvular heart disease, hypertension, coagulopathies,
cardiomyopathy, aorta disease, stroke and etc. All of the illnesses listed
above can be divided into two main categories. One type of CVD refers to
conditions with narrowed or blocked blood vessels by plaque. Another type of
CVD affects the heart’s muscles, valves or rhythm.
The most common
type of CVD is atherosclerosis, which develops when
plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. Plaque narrows the arteries and makes
it harder for blood to flow through. This medical condition can cause a heart
attack or stroke. A heart attack occurs when
the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked. An ischemic stroke happens
when a blood vessel that feeds the brain gets blocked. No matter the type of
CVD, the treatment, symptoms and prevention are similar.
There are two groups of risk
factors for CVD: non-modifiable and modifiable.
Non-modifiable risk factors include heredity: age, gender, and family
history. Modifiable risk factors are lifestyle-related and include obesity,
poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, hypertension, abnormal lipid levels,
and high blood glucose.
Physical
Activity
Physical activity is one of
the most fundamental factors involved in maintaining good health and avoiding
the risk of CVD.
Exercise training commonly features aerobic activities such as brisk walking,
cycling, swimming and running; common type of muscle strength training includes weight lifting exercises. Yoga and Tai Chi are examples of mind-body therapy and flexibility exercises.
The Center for
Disease Control and Prevention recommends moderate intensity aerobic activity
for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes a week to lower the risk of developing
cardiovascular disease. Moderate intensity aerobic activity is defined as
60%-79% VO2 max training. It means that 60-79% of the maximum amount of oxygen is consumed by
the body during aerobic exercise. Two hours and thirty
minutes per week can be simplified as 30 minutes of brisk walking five times
per week.
Fitness activities
should be designed to bring health benefits while reducing the risk of injuries.
Each exercise session should include three phases: warm-up, conditioning, and
cool down. Warm-up and cool down periods can be around five minutes long each
and include steady walking. A conditioning phase can consist of brisk walking
for 20 minutes. There is no need for a gym membership or athletic background.
Everyone is invited to participate, which means that everyone should at least
go outside and feel the benefits of a brisk, healthy walk. The result of
regular brisk walking will be a benefit to cardiovascular health through
reduced body weight, increased exercise tolerance, decreased blood pressure,
diminished low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol level, increased
high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and improved insulin sensitivity.
Stopping
the CVD Epidemic
CVD continues to be
a global epidemic and many researchers keep proposing new theories and developing
new studies. As long as a sedentary lifestyle is predominant in our society,
these studies will not help to improve the cardiovascular health of the public
and stop the global epidemic of CVD. The potential for change is within our
power; we just need to perform regular exercise! We can do this by simply going
outside, breathing fresh air and walking.
What are you
waiting for? Tighten your shoelaces and walk!
Health, Happiness, and Harmony
Kay
References
Ching,
L., Chen, S., May-Kuen, W., & Jin, S. (2013). Tai Chi Chuan exercise for
patients with cardiovascular disease. Evidence-Based
Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/983208.
Retrieved September 9, 2018
Drenowatz,
C., Sui, X., Fritz, S., Lavie, C., & Beatties, P. (2015). The association
between resistance exercise and cardiovascular disease risk in women. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 18(6),
632-636. Retrieved September 9, 2018 from https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/1737518931/fulltext/2F7ADE62A2034A22PQ/2?accountid=14541
Gidlow,
C., Cochrane, T., Davey, R., Beloe, M., Chambers, R. (2014). One-year
cardiovascular risk and quality of life changes in participants of a health
trainer service. Perspective in Public
Health, 134(3), 135-144. Retrieved September 9, 2018 from https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/1536865453/abstract/8EFA3540C195496DPQ/1?accountid=14541
Kenney,
W. L., Wilmore, J. H., & Costill, D. L. (2012). Physiology of Sport and
Exercise (5th ed.). Champaign,
IL: Human Kinetics
Rioux,
J., & Ritenbaugh, C. (2013).
Narrative review of yoga intervention clinical trials including weight-related
outcomes. Alternative Therapies in Health
and Medicine, 19(3), 32-46. Retrieved September 9, 2018 from https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/1365776034/fulltext/D2B09E33ED4747F1PQ/9?accountid=14541
The World Health Organization, (n.d.)
Retrieved September 19, 2018 from http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/guidelines/Full%20text.pdf
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