Information for the General Public
We
are
generally
less
active
now
than
in
the
past.
This
is
because
newer
technologies
are
making
our
lives
easier
and
we
are
getting
lazier.
We
move
around
less
and
burn
off
less
energy
than
people
in
the
past.
Research
suggests
that
many
among
us
spend
more
than
seven
hours
a
day
sitting
and
in
over
65s,
spend
more
than
10
hours
sitting.
We
have
all
been
told
repeatedly
that
to
stay
healthy
we
must
exercise
regularly.
Lack
of
exercise
is
associated
with
numerous
health
conditions,
including
obesity,
heart
disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis.
Most
of
us
know
how
beneficial
exercise
is
for
our
health.
However,
it
is
surprising
how
little
many
of
us
know
about
the
dangers
of
being
unfit.
The
number
of
overweight
people
is
growing
alarmingly
fast
all
over
the
world.
Department
of
Health
in
UK
describes
inactivity
as
a
“silent
killer”.
So
act
now if you are not already at it.
How
does
exercise
help?
To
improve
health
through
exercise
it
is
necessary
to
make
your
heart
beat
faster.
When
it
beats
faster
it
forces
more
blood
thereby
oxygen
to
every
organ
in
the
body.
This
is
one
of
the
reasons
why
the
whole
body
benefits
by
exercise.
There
is however a maximum safe rate at which a normal heart can beat. This will depend on your age. We will come to this later.
Muscles
and
Heart:
When
you
exercise
regularly,
you
strengthen
the
muscles
that
do
the
work.
To
supply
the
muscles
with
enough
oxygen
during
the
work
out,
the
heart
has
to
work
faster.
This
increased
work
load
(within
safe
limits)
will
strengthen
the
heart
muscles.
Keeping
the
heart
healthy
is
the
key
to
the
overall
benefit
you
gain
through
exercise.
Unfortunately, when you stop exercising all the benefit gained is slowly lost.
Kidney:
The
increased
blood
flow
through
the
kidney
helps
to
get
rid
of
unwanted
chemicals
(urea,
ammonia,
uric
acid
,
etc)
that are by-products of digested foods.
Brain:
Irrespective
of
age
increased
blood
flow
through
the
brain
improves
memory
and
learning
function.
It
will
also
delay
the onset of Alzheimer's in people who are prone to it.
Bone:
Regular
exercise
helps
maintain
stronger
muscles
and
bones
particularly
in
the
elderly.
Total
inactivity
results
in
weak
muscles and loss of minerals from the bone resulting in osteoporosis.
Immune System:
With regular exercise you generally become more resistant to infections.
Endocrine
System:
Exercise
has
a
beneficial
effect
on
the
glands
that
produce
different
hormones.
One
of
them
relates
to
diabetes
where
it
becomes
easier
to
control
blood
sugar
level.
People
with
type
2
diabetes
have
too
much
glucose
in
their
blood,
either
because
their
body
doesn’t
produce
enough
insulin
to
process
it,
or
because
their
body
is
resistant
to
insulin.
Exercise
helps
the
muscles
to
use
glucose
without
insulin.
What
this
means
is
that
through
exercise
the
blood
glucose
level
will go down whether you are insulin resistant or there is not enough insulin being produced.
Type
of
Exercise:
As
mentioned
earlier,
the
aim
of
any
exercise
is
to
increase
the
heart
rate
to
its
optimum
level.
You
can
do
this
by
a
variety
of
activity
like
jogging,
cycling,
swimming
or
brisk
walking.
Depending
on
your
age
and
your
physical
fitness,
you
decide
on
the
type
of
exercise
to
do.
If
you
have
never
exercised
before
it
is
best
to
start
with
simple walking, extending it slowly to 20 minutes a day.
To
stay
healthy,
adults
should
aim
to
achieve
at
least
3
hours
of
moderate
to
vigorous
physical
activity
every
week.
You'll
get
the
most
from
your
workouts
if
you're
exercising
at
the proper exercise intensity for your health and fitness goals.
Research
has
shown
that
interval
training,
ie
higher
intensity
exercise
done
for
short
bouts
(1
minute)
interspersed
throughout
your
workout,
is
well
tolerated,
even
by
those
with
certain
cardiac
conditions.
This
type
of
workout
is
very
effective
at
increasing
your
cardiovascular fitness.
Irrespective
of
the
type
of
exercise
you
indulge
in,
never
overdo
them.
If
at
the
end
of
the
session
you
are
very
tired
or
exhausted,
you
have
exceeded
the
optimum
level
and
that
will cause more harm than good.
Simple Tests to check health of your heart before you start exercising:
Most
heart
problems
start
after
the
age
of
55.
If
you
are
past
55,
there
are
some
simple
tests
that
you
can
do,
to
determine
if your heart is healthy.
1
.
Check
your
pulse
when
you
are
sitting
calmly
and
resting.
It
should
be
anything
between
60
to
75
per
minute.
Next
climb
a
flight
of
stairs
or
walk
for
two
minutes
and
check
your
pulse.
It
should
have
increased
by
at
least
10%.
If
it
has
not increased, you should see a doctor.
2
.
Check
your
pulse
before
you
start
any
activity
(brisk
walking,
going
up
the
stairs,
running
etc).
Next
check
the
pulse
at
the
height
of
your
activity.
Stop
all
activities,
sit
down
and
rest
quietly.
Note
the
time.
Check
your
pulse
5
minutes
later.
The
pulse
should
have
returned
to
the
pre-activity
level
(resting
pulse).
The
fitter
you
are
the
quicker
it
returns
to
pre-activity level. If the pulse remains high, you need a medical check.
3
.
Heart
Recovery
Rate:
HRR
gives
you
a
more
accurate
picture
of
how
healthy
your
heart
is.
This
is
measured
after
you
have
undertaken
a
vigorous
activity
like
running
or
brisk
walking
to
increase
your
heart
rate
to
the
maximum
permitted
level.
Check
the
pulse
rate
when
your
activity
level
is
highest.
Stop
your
activity
abruptly,
sit
down
and
rest
quietly.
Measure
your
pulse
rate
exactly
two
minutes
after
stopping
your
activity.
The
difference
between
the
two
gives
you
the
HRR.
The
higher
the
rate
the
healthier
your
heart
is.
If
it
is
less
than
22
you
have
a
heart
problem
that
requires urgent investigation and treatment.
As
I
said
earlier,
to
benefit
from
any
exercise
you
must
make
your
heart
beat
faster.
Depending
on
your
age
there
is
a
safe
maximum
rate
at
which
your
heart
can
beat.
There
is
a
simple
formula
to
check
the
maximum
heart
rate
that
your
cardiovascular system can cope without causing a heart attack.
Formula for calculating the safe heart rate (HRR):
•
HRR = 220 – your age x 80/100.
•
Example:
if
you
are
60,
then
220
–
60
is
160.
This
the
maximum
rate
you
can
subject
your
heart
to.
However,
a
desirable safe level should be 80% of 160 which is 128.
Caution:
Do
not
attempt
to
check
how
healthy
your
heart
is
if
you
are
already
on
medication
for
a
cardiac
problem.
Check
with your doctor to determine if you are fit enough to undertake an exercise that will increase your heart rate.
Seeking
Medical
Help:
Several
types
of
medications
can
lower
your
heart
rate,
therefore,
you
may
need
to
lower
the
maximum
rate
your
heart
can
be
subjected
to.
Ask
your
doctor
if
you
need
to
lower
your
target
heart
rate
because
of
your
medication
or
other
medical
conditions
you
suffer
from.
When
you
start
your
exercise,
if
you
develop
any
of
the
following
symptoms you must stop immediately and get yourself checked by a doctor before you proceed further.
1
.
Shortness of breath.
2
.
Pain in your chest
3
.
Radiating pain to your shoulder, arm, neck or jaw.
4
.
A tight feeling in your chest
5
.
Feeling dizzy
6
.
Feel sick
7
.
Profuse sweating soon after you start any exercise
When
any
of
the
above
symptoms
occur
during
normal
everyday
activity
you
must
see
your
doctor
urgently
to
check
your
heart and lung function.
Conclusion:
All
health
professionals
now
agree
that
to
stay
healthy
you
must
exercise
regularly.
Dr.
I-Min
Lee,
Professor
of
Medicine
at
Harvard
Medical
School
said
that
middle-aged
person
who
gets
the
recommended
150
minutes
per
week
of
moderate
exercise
like
brisk
walking,
can
expect
seven
extra
minutes
of
life
gained
for
each
minute
spent
exercising.
National
Institutes
of
Health,
USA
concluded
that
a
little
physical
activity
can
go
a
long
way
toward
extending
your
life,
regardless
of
your
weight.
People
who
walked
briskly
or
did
other
activity
at
only
half
the
recommended
amount
gained
nearly
2
years
in
life
expectancy
compared
to
inactive
people
and
those
who
exercised
even
more
gained
up
to
4.5
years
of
life.
K. Badrinath
I am grateful for Dr. S. Vaithianathan Prof. of Cardiology in Chennai, India for reviewing this article before publication
Benefits of Regular Exercise & Exercising Safely