Tag Archives: Exercise

Not cancelled – Heart health tips for 2020

BW ARA labcoat In a short time Ohioans have learned about social distancing to flatten the curve-from schedule changes, event cancellation/reschedule, and even changes with regular medical care. The CapCity Half – a favorite event supported by OhioHealth has been canceled for April, rescheduled to August. Fortunately, these efforts appear to be limiting spread/reducing high numbers of people becoming severely ill with Covid19.

The goal of flattening the curve is to avoid overwhelming the health care system-so that if an emergency happens, patients can get treatment. Unfortunately in a pandemic, despite many cancellations, heart and vascular disease are not canceled. Heart attack and stroke still happen.

What are signs/symptoms of a heart or vascular emergency?

A person’s appearance – pale, sweaty, difficulty breathing, visibly uncomfortable, fainting- can be signs of heart attack. Pay attention to family members and neighbors and call 911 if concerning signs.

Don’t ignore symptoms especially chest pain, back, jaw, or shoulder pain, shortness of breath, dizzy/lightheaded, heart racing or palpitations, severe leg swelling, fatigue, even nausea and vomiting some or all of which can be symptoms of a heart attack.

For stroke remember FAST – Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech change, Time to call 911.

What if someone has new symptoms but not so severe? What about non-emergency care? It is not cancelled ~ elective surgeries and procedures and tests are closely reviewed and timing determined in balance with the pandemic but non-emergency healthcare is important.

Routine healthcare via tele visit or video visit or even a phone call to a nurse are not cancelled. Keep a log if you are aware of a change or new symptom, write down questions if you wonder about a medication.

Tele ~ Greek for distant ~ medicine offers a way to connect and consult with health care professionals via telephone and video visits.

To respond to our patients, in a short time the clinicians and teams at OhioHealth have launched even more widespread tele health and video appointments for patients to touch base, evaluate symptoms, and allow for evaluation of and follow up for heart and vascular conditions. Elective or routine testing and heart checks will be rescheduled – we are all working to keep patients heart healthy by keeping the timing of routine checks flexible.

Bottom line: focusing on heart health is not cancelled even in a time of social distancing and working to flatten the curve ~

How can you Social Distance and stay heart healthy? What’s important from a heart and vascular standpoint?

Here are 5 tips for Heart Health –

1) Take medications as prescribed; be sure to keep adequate supply – pharmacies are deemed essential and will be open. Keep a regular schedule while social distancing – especially with medications but also with food, rest, physical activity a schedule helps structure your time.

2) Stay physically active – the ultimate way to multitask for your heart and circulation, physical activity such as taking a walk in the home or socially distant outside, standing up and sitting back down in a chair, light stretching, running, lifting weights – helps manage stress, keeps immunity strong, lowers BP and cholesterol ; it’s an amazing way to help your heart. Physical activity doesn’t have to be perfect – remember that 10-15 minutes twice a day most days of the week meets current recommended guidelines for physical activity. Learn about and give meditation a try. Meditation can help with biofeedback and stress management, lowers blood pressure, and has been shown to help heart health.

3) What are you eating? Are you experimenting with whatever remains in the pantry? Heart healthy eating hasn’t been cancelled – choose fresh foods as able, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and avoid processed foods. Keep portions in check.

4) Are you sleeping? Good sleep habits help heart health from preventing arrhythmia to helping blood pressure stay at goal.

5) Collect data to discuss with your team. Track home blood pressure, heart rate, weight depending if managing heart conditions such as hypertension, arrhythmia (for example atrial fibrillation) or heart failure.

StayHome Ohio but don’t ignore an emergency.

Exercise can make your body feel younger. . . and (maybe) actually make it younger?

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As we prepare for Thanksgiving (and in my case, the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot!) there is some good news on exercise and aging. We know that lifelong regular exercise can reverse many of the effects of aging – at least in “elite” or professional lifelong athletes. But what about “regular people” who commit to a lifestyle of regular activity? Can their bodies become “younger” too?

A recent study (link to full study here) tried to answer this question – by studying the Running Turkey bodies (specifically, muscle tissue) of older individuals who had remained active though regular leisurely activities. The main findings, according to this article in the New York Times summarizing the study:

“The muscles of the older exercisers resembled those of the young people, with as many capillaries and enzymes as theirs, and far more than in the muscles of the sedentary elderly.

The active elderly group did have lower aerobic capacities than the young people, but their capacities were about 40 percent higher than those of their inactive peers.

In fact, when the researchers compared the active older people’s aerobic capacities to those of established data about “normal” capacities at different ages, they calculated that the aged, active group had the cardiovascular health of people 30 years younger than themselves.”

What does this mean?

Committing to an active lifestyle can slow, or even eliminate” many of the changes in our muscles that we consider “normal aging”
Even though our overall exercise capacity does diminish over age, these changes are slowed significantly in those who remain active, compared to less active older individuals.
In the words of one of the researchers, “exercise could help us to build a reserve of good health now that might enable us to slow or evade physical frailty later”

So this is more evidence for all of us to stay active – here is our overview of physical activity and its benefits on heart health, and here are more articles on exercise:

Exercise News: Delay Dementia, and Never Too Late to Start!

Is Running Risky? Lets check the science. . . .

Can 1 Minute of Exercise Possibly be Useful?

What is the “right dose” of exercise for a long and healthy life?

Can 1 Minute of Exercise Possibly be Useful?

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You may have noticed (or perhaps soon will) this article from the NY Times earlier today with an enticing headline: Only a single minute of high intensity exercise can replace 45 minutes of moderate exercise. This seems like good news for those of us who are always pressed for time to find time for exercise. But we need to delve into the details of this study before drawing broad conclusions about the optimal duration of exercise.

The study in question showed that an exercise routine using high intensity exercise for one minute of total duration (in a routine that took 10 minutes total including warmup and rest periods) had similar benefits to a longer routine of moderate exercise in this study group of 25 subjects. It suggests that incorporating intervals of high intensity exercise can shorten the amount of time needed to obtain long-lasting health benefits.

I do think this is an enticing concept and it is a very good reminder that adding interval training can be quite beneficial to our health and our fitness goals. But we need to remember why we advocate for physical activity for wellness and disease prevention. Exercise should not be a “bitter medicine” taken as quickly as possible, but should be considered a desired component of our day-to-day lifestyle. Therefore I think that moderate exercise, such as brisk or sustained walking, as well as light jogging, can have much broader benefits, such as improving our mental state, helping concentration and sleep, and of course improving our long-term health and disease prevention.

This article is certainly a useful reminder that adding intervals to exercise, for those of us who are physically able, can help us reach our fitness goals quicker and more successfully. However, these type of programs can also increase the risk of injury or worsen underlying medical conditions. Therefore, high intensity exercise regimens should only be undertaken with the guidance of a fitness professional, and for those with chronic heart or other medical conditions, with the approval of our personal physician or health care provider.

Here is the link to full article.

Another Reason to “Stand Up” to Heart Disease!

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In case you need another excuse to get off the couch (and think about a treadmill desk). . . it appears “too much sitting” may in itself contribute to the progression of heart plaque. . .

Too Much Sitting May Up Risk of Coronary Artery Calcification

Marlene Busko

SAN DIEGO, CA — Each added hour spent sitting was associated with a 14% increase in coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, independent of traditional risk factors, including physical activity, in a study of middle-aged subjects without cardiovascular disease^[1].

“Our study contributes to the growing body of evidence whereby health consequences of ‘sitting too much’ appear to be distinct from those of ‘too little exercise,’ and [it] suggests that increased subclinical atherosclerosis may be one of the mechanisms through which sedentary behavior increases CV risk,” Dr Jacquelyn Kulinski (Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) told heartwire from Medscape.

The researchers examined data from 2031 participants in theDallas Heart Study who were aged 20 to 76, with a mean age of 50. Just over half (62%) were women, and about 50% were black.

Participants had a CT scan to measure CAC; a CAC score above 10 was deemed positive and a score below 10 was deemed negative. In addition, the participants wore a watch accelerometer for at least 4 days to measure body movements, which were classed as sedentary, light activity (nonexercise), or moderate to vigorous physical activity.

On average, participants were sedentary for 5.1 hours a day, but this ranged from 1.1 to 11.6 hours a day. Older people, those with a higher body-mass index (BMI), and those with diabetes or hypertension were more likely to spend more time sitting.

After adjustment for BMI, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, statin use, type 2 diabetes, smoking, household income, education, marital status, employment, and moderate to vigorous physical activity, each hour of sedentary time was associated with a 10% higher odds of having CAC (adjusted odds ratio 1.10, 95% CI, 1.01–1.21; P=0.035).

Moderate to vigorous physical activity was modestly associated with CAC in models adjusted only for age, gender, and ethnicity, but the association disappeared after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking, diabetes, BMI, cholesterol, and blood pressure, Kulinski added. Even though study participants exercised only an average of 6 minutes a day, other studies in marathon runners have also reported that exercise was not associated with CAC, she noted.

LINK TO FULL ARTICLE:

Too Much’ Sitting May Worsen Coronary Calcification, Regardless of Exercise
Heartwire from Medscape, 2015-03-11

Heart Health News. . . You Can Use

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Here are some quick links to useful items in the news recently that reflect new findings on prevention and heart health:

Could drinking alcohol actually affect the way you exercise? Some new research described here suggests that could be the case – and in a positive way.

The upshot? Because exercise and alcohol intake affect similar “pleasure” centers in our brain, you may actually be tempted to drink more in days you exercise – but people who drink moderate amounts of exercise also tend to exercise more regularly. . . and seem to be healthier. (see our earlier article about wine and heart health).

Is coffee good or bad for you? A new study described here looked at coffee intake and risk of death from various causes.

The upshot? Keep bringing on the java (and consider buying Starbucks stock!)

Can you be “too old” to exercise. . or get its benefits? Not according to new research.

The upshot? Even in those over age 75, regular walking can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. So keep moving!

This article describes research into the link between weekend sleep and weekday sleep.

The upshot? Sleeping in late on weekends may feel good, but may have negative health consequences.

Remember. . only your doctor can give you specific health care advice. . so always check with your health provider if these articles (and the advice they contain) apply to you and your health situation.

An Update on New Research – Part 2

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There is always plenty of research being conducted on heart disease prevention, but this week I decided to go straight to the source. This week I will be blogging directly from the Cardiometabolic Health Congress in Boston – a collection of presentations on recent concepts and new research in the treatment of conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The goal? To prevent heart disease and stroke.

For part 1 of my post, see here.

At this meeting, we have been hearing from experts in the fields of heart prevention, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. To point out some key findings, here are common questions from patients and the answers from some of the speakers at this meeting:

What type of exercise is best for prevention? We all understand the importance of staying active, and many of us now count our steps to ensure we meet our activity goals. But one expert pointed out that to have maximal impact on weight loss, we need to go beyond light activity – he termed them “sweat episodes”. We should aim for 3-5 “sweat episodes” weekly – and no specific type of exercise to accomplish this is superior. For much more information on exercise, click here.

What diet is best to prevent heart disease? We are bombarded with diet advice – but very few diets have really been studied to see their effect on disease prevention. Dr. Frank Sachs, a Professor of Nutrition here is Boston, summarized the evidence for many of the commonly recommended diets. His conclusion – a Mediterranean Diet has the best evidence for prevention – not just for heart disease and stroke, but there is also evidence that it can improve mental function! Here are his slides summarizing the diet and its benefits:

Slides reproduced from Dr. Frank Sacks “The Science Behind Heart Healthy Nutrition”, October 23, 2015

What is the ideal blood pressure target? For years, we have used 140/90 as a “target” blood pressure for patients on therapy for high blood pressure. However, an important new study which was announced recently suggests that a more aggressive target (below 130) may be better at preventing heart complications. This study generated a lot of media attention – but the experts here warn that the full study has yet to be released and analyzed. However, it is promising evidence that “lower may be better” – stay tuned for further advice.

Why is high blood pressure so difficult to control? It is frustrating to patients with HBP (and their doctors!) when their BP cannot be fully controlled, even with multiple medications. Dr. George Bakris, an expert on hypertension, notes that the most common culprit (other than missing medication!) is excess sodium in the diet. Even patients who think they are “watching their salt” may be eating more than needed, especially from hidden sources. This can cancel out the effect of medication. The optimal diet for patients with HBP is the “DASH” diet – for more information, see here.

VIDEO: Which Exercise is Best for Preventing Heart Disease?

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Recently, I was asked by the online video blog, VIDOYEN, about the best exercise for heart prevention. Here is my 3 minute answer:

Cardiologist and Heart Health Advocate Kanny S. Grewal, MD answers Which Exercise is Best for Preventing Heart Disease? (3 minutes) – VIDOYEN.

What is the “right dose” of exercise for a long and healthy life?

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For some guidance, here is a nice summary from the New York Times of some recent research. . . .

Exercise has had a Goldilocks problem, with experts debating just how much exercise is too little, too much or just the right amount to improve health and longevity. Two new, impressively large-scale studies provide some clarity, suggesting that the ideal dose of exercise for a long life is a bit more than many of us currently believe we should get, but less than many of us might expect. The studies also found that prolonged or intense exercise is unlikely to be harmful and could add years to people’s lives. Click here for the full article.

The conclusions?

1. The recommended weekly does of 150 minutes of exercise is a good starting point, but those who are able should strive for more, up to an hour a day of moderate exercise (such as steady walking)

2. Adding more intense exercise for short periods (jogging or brisk walking) is even more beneficial.

3. While more intense training, such as distance running, may not be harmful, the overall benefit on longevity is questionable. This should not stop those who are able from pursuing vigorous exercise,

Is “Too Much” Exercise Harmful? Some New Information. . .

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We have known for some time that physically active individuals have a longer life span and are overall healthier than those who are sedentary. This certainly extends to heart disease, where exercise clearly has a beneficial effect for both prevention and therapy. But more recent research into “extreme” levels of exercise, especially endurance running, is raising questions about whether it is possible to exercise too much. This is becoming a controversial and heavily debated topic in the world of sports medicine.

Recently, a new study was released which adds important information to this debate. This was a very detailed study in Europe of individuals over many years to try to link the degree of jogging with overall mortality and cardiovascular health. Called the Copenhagen Heart Study, this particular analysis identified over 1000 active joggers and followed them for over 12 years. Not surprisingly, those who exercise either mild or moderate amounts were healthier and lived longer than their sedentary counterparts. What was most interesting however, is that those who ran the most vigorously (defined as 4 or more sessions weekly, or high intensity sessions) actually did not have improved survival compared to the sedentary non-runners. This suggests that perhaps more extreme levels of running may actually be harmful. In fact, other studies have suggested a similar connection, such as a higher risk of irregular heart rhythms in those who participate in extreme sports. The study did have some limitations as it did not address other types of exercise, the participants were not randomized, and the limited number of participants prevented detailed analysis and comparisons.

So, for overall wellness and heart health, what level of exercise should we recommend? Here are some guidelines:

1. Remember, always check with your physician or other health provider to determine whether physical activity is appropriate for your specific medical condition.

2. This study adds to the evidence that light and moderate exercise is clearly beneficial. The current recommendation by the American Heart Association is 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise. That could include brisk walking, light or moderate jogging, or many other types of aerobic activity. However, as we previously reported, even very short sessions of exercise can be beneficial.

3. High-intensity exercise, defined as 4 or more sessions a week, or frequent sessions of very high intensity activity (for example, running > 7 MPH) , may not be optimal for long-term health and survival. There is still minimal evidence that this level of exercise is actually harmful, but the benefit may not be as high as for those that stick to moderate exercise.

4. For those who elect to perform higher intensity exercise, it may be reasonable to cycle the periods of high activity with “down time”or cross-training with other less-intense types of exercise. There is still really no evidence that any particular type of aerobic exercise is best, so an active lifestyle that focuses on a mix of activities may be optimal.

Other than perhaps diet, an active lifestyle is still the single most effective way to prolong our lives and prevent disease. We hope you will join the HeartHealth Docs in participating in the upcoming Capital City Half Marathon and the New Albany Walking Classic.

Here is a reference to the study mentioned and this article.

Here is our overview of exercise, and an additional article on the benefits of exercise.

The Heart Health Doctors

Promoting heart and circulatory wellness through education

Tag Archives: Exercise

Not cancelled – Heart health tips for 2020

Exercise can make your body feel younger. . . and (maybe) actually make it younger?

Can 1 Minute of Exercise Possibly be Useful?

Another Reason to “Stand Up” to Heart Disease!

In case you need another excuse to get off the couch (and think about a treadmill desk). . . it appears “too much sitting” may in itself contribute to the progression of heart plaque. . .

Too Much Sitting May Up Risk of Coronary Artery Calcification

Top articles from our first 2 years. . .

Heart Health News. . . You Can Use

Is coffee good or bad for you? A new study described here looked at coffee intake and risk of death from various causes.

An Update on New Research – Part 2

VIDEO: Which Exercise is Best for Preventing Heart Disease?

What is the “right dose” of exercise for a long and healthy life?

Is “Too Much” Exercise Harmful? Some New Information. . .