Walking for Heart Health
The
message found by study after study is clear: physical activity reduces chances
of early death and improves overall health.
However, many Americans find it difficult to get to the gym or hit the
weight room. What they may not realize
is that simply walking as little as 150 minutes a week will likely make some
substantial gains in their health and wellbeing. Walking is an easy, budget-friendly, mentally
refreshing way to burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, reduce stress,
and prolong years of healthy life.
The Surgeon General’s report on
physical activity and health informs us that “inactive people are nearly twice
as likely to develop heart disease as those who are more active.” This provides a compelling argument for
incorporating physical activity into the typical American’s daily life. Moreover, it only takes about 30 minutes of
moderate activity (such as fast paced walking) on most or all days of the week
to reduce one’s risk of heart disease.
“This level of activity can also lower your
chances of having a stroke, colon cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and
other medical problems,” adds the Surgeon General’s report. Heart disease is the number one cause of
death in the United States, killing more than 500,000 people annually (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).
Heart disease,
known as “the silent killer,” begins with a buildup of plaque, an accumulation
of cholesterol, fat, and other substances on the arteries’ inner walls (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). This continues without symptoms
until an artery is blocked or partially blocked and blood flow to the heart is
reduced, causing atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the artery walls (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). This
can cause angina, or chest pain, or eventually a heart attack, which occurs
when the heart cannot get enough blood due to a complete blockage of a major
artery. This condition, also called a
myocardial infarction, results in damaged or dead heart muscle and requires
immediate medical attention (National Heart Blood and Lung Institute, 2012). According to the CDC’s Division for Heart
Disease and Stroke Prevention, 6% of those hospitalized for heart attack
die. What’s missing in that statistic is
the number of people who don’t even make it to the hospital.
NEMO Heart
Health is an organization located in Kirksville, Missouri whose mission it is
to place AEDs
around the community, offer heart safe activities, and educate about nutrition,
stress reduction, and promotion of a heart healthy life (NEMO Heart Health,
2012). An AED cannot save someone who is
suffering from a heart attack, but it can save someone who experiences a sudden
cardiac arrest, or an event during which the heart’s electrical rhythm becomes
so irregular that it stops pumping blood to the body (National Heart Blood and
Lung Institute, 2011). An AED, or an
automated external defibrillator, can shock the heart back into a proper rhythm
and save the victim’s life, but only if administered within minutes (National
Heart Blood and Lung Institute, 2012).
This is why NEMO Heart Health’s mission is so important. Anyone can use an AED and it will only deliver
a shock if it is necessary (National Heart Blood and Lung Institute, 2012). People who have suffered heart attacks are
more susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest in the future.
NEMO Heart
Health organizes an annual Heart & Sole Walk to raise money for their
education programs and future purchases of AEDs. This walk promotes walking as a heart-healthy,
family-friendly activity. The evidence
indicates walking to be enough exercise to improve health - “People with diabetes who walked for
exercise at least
2 hours a week lowered their mortality rate from all causes
by 39 percent” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Two hours a
week could be as little as twenty minutes of walking six days a week, or thirty
minutes of walking four days a week.
Obtaining enough physical activity
to see gains in heart health can be as easy as stepping out the door with your
family. The CDC recommends getting at
least 150 minutes of moderate activity such as walking each week. The only equipment required for walking is a
good pair of tennis shoes, and it is a great way to spend more time with family
and friends. So next time you think
about sitting down in front of the television, step outside instead and take a
walk!
References
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. (2009). Coronary Artery Disease. Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/coronary_ad.htm.
6 in 10 Adults Now Get Physical Activity by Walking. Retrieved from
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. (2012). Heart
Disease Facts. Retrieved from
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. (2011). Relationship of Walking to Mortality
among
U.S. Adults with Diabetes. Retrieved
from
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets/walking.htm.
Division
for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Data Trends & Maps Web site. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services,
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Atlanta, GA, 2010. Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/.
National Heart Lung and
Blood Institute. (2011). What is
an Automated External
Defibrillator? Retrieved from
National Heart Lung and
Blood Institute. (2011). What is
Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/scda/.
NEMO Heart Health
Corporation. (2012). About. Retrieved from
U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. (1996). Physical
Activity and Health: A
Report of the Surgeon General. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/pdf/sgrfull.pdf.
posted by carol cox @ 7:55 PM
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