Coronary heart disease, often referred to as CHD or coronary artery disease, occurs when the small blood vessels that supply the heart with nutrients, oxygen and blood become narrow, diseased or damaged. Common causes of CHD include atherosclerosis, genetics, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, high triglyceride levels, chronic kidney disease and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Exercise intervention for coronary heart disease helps decrease your risk factors and decrease your chance of experiencing a heart attack.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Exercise boosts your body's defense system against CHD. Regular exercise may promote the development of an extra network of blood vessels around any arteries blocked by arteriosclerosis and helps decrease the amount of plaque built up in your arteries. Daily aerobic exercise raises your "good" cholesterol levels and lowers your "bad" cholesterol levels -- HDL and LDL cholesterol respectively, helps control your blood sugar levels, lowers your blood pressure and reduces dangerous abdominal fat. Exercise also decreases the level of cortisol in your blood, which improves glucose and fat metabolism, and decreases the resting levels of adrenalin in your blood, which reduces the demand on your heart. Exercise also decreases your stress levels and increases your sense of well-being, explains Dr. Philip Ragno, president of Island Cardiac Specialists and director of cardiovascular health and wellness at Winthrop-University Hospital.
Exercise Guidelines
Prior to starting an exercise program with CHD, consult your physician or a cardiac rehabilitation team to determine the safety of exercise based on your personal disease factors. Dr. Ragno emphasizes that walking is the best mode of exercise for people with CHD. Aim to walk 15 to 20 miles each week to stop the progression of atherosclerosis and possibly reverse its progression, advises Janet Bond Brill, author of "Prevent a Second Heart Attack: 8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease." This equals taking a two- to four-mile walk each day. If you cannot walk this far, start with shorter walks each day. Even a five-minute walk each day helps improve your fitness level. As your endurance improves, increase the length of your walk until you can sustain a brisk pace throughout a 30-minute walk.
Precautions
If you currently have a sedentary lifestyle, have had heart surgery or have recently experienced a heart attack, consult your physician prior to starting any exercise program. Avoid any exercise that causes heart- and breathing-rate increases that prevent you from talking while you exercise. At the ideal exercise level, you can talk, but cannot sing. Stop exercising and call your doctor if you experience any discomfort in your chest, jaw, back or arms that could be related to your heart. Stop exercising and seek immediate medical attention if you experience chest pain, new or unusual abnormalities of cardiac rhythm, excessive breathlessness, or fatigue persisting more than a few hours, advises Brill.
Expert Opinion
Your doctor may not allow you to exercise for two to six weeks following a heart attack, depending on its severity whether you needed surgery, advises Dr. Ragno. Exercise with someone else until you have the stamina to exercise without becoming winded easily. Make activity a part of your daily routine by taking a 10-minute walk before meals, gardening, placing your calls on speaker phone and walking around while you talk, or going to the gym during your lunch break.
References
- Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN, CSSD; Fitness Together; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Philip Ragno, M.D.; Island Cardiac Specialists and Winthrop-University Hospital; Long Island, New York
- MedlinePlus: Coronary Heart Disease
