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March 7, 2005
The right kind of exercise to build a strong heart
Heart attacks don't happen due to a lack of endurance. They typically come about when a person is either at rest or when there's a sudden, sizable demand on the heart. Heart attacks often strike when someone lifts a heavy object, has sex, or experiences an unexpected emotional blow. For one reason or another, the oxygen supply to the heart can't keep up with a change in demand.
The right kind of exercise builds the heart's ability to respond effectively to these demands. You can indeed increase both your heart's maximal capacity and its speed at increasing its output to respond to demand. Yet long-duration exercise does not help you do this. In fact, it has the opposite effect by forcing the heart to become smaller and more efficient. The body trades the ability to handle big demands for the ability to go farther.
Studies have demonstrated that short-duration exercise improves cardiovascular health more than long-duration exercise. A recent Harvard study found that men who performed long-duration exercise reduced their risk of heart disease by 10 percent, while those who exercised in repeated shorter bouts reduced their heart disease risk by 20 percent 1. In other words, the men who did high-intensity, interval exercise reduced their heart disease risk by 100 percent more than those who did endurance exercise.
To read more about this topic order Al Sears MD's The Doctor's Heart Cure today.
1 Sesso HD, Pafafenbarger RS Jr and Lee IM. Physical activity and coronary heart disease in men: The Harvard Alumni Health Study. Circulation. 2000 Aug. 29; 102(9):975-980.
Posted by james at March 7, 2005 5:03 AM