Exercise heart just like any other muscle

Heart disease is the No.1 killer of men and women in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Simple things can help prevent heart disease, such as eating a healthy diet, stopping smoking and limiting alcohol. Exercise is high on the disease prevention list because the heart is a muscle, and exercise helps to keep it strong.

The heart is a muscle

"The heart's job is to pump blood through the body," said Phrosini Samis-Smith, fitness assessment and outreach program coordinator for Fitness Pointe in Munster. "A strong heart is an efficient pump."

The heart is the most vital muscle in the body, said Michael Sena, co-owner of Michael Sena's Pro-Fit: Program Fitness for Results, a wellness fitness center in Dyer that uses heart rate monitors.

"The heart is to the body what the engine is to the car," Sena says. "If you don't take care of the engine properly, the car won't be able to run."

How exercise helps

Sena said exercise helps lower the resting heart rate, which will make it more efficient when conducting your activities of daily living. "You want your heart to ‘idle' or be resting at lower heart rates, around the high 50s to the mid 60s when not exerting it, if you can. The average resting heartbeat in the United States is approximately 72 beats per minute (ranges 60 to 90 bpm). Being overweight tends to make that resting heart rate higher."

Exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight as well as lower cholesterol and blood pressure. "If you don't exercise you're more likely to end up with heart disease and cholesterol problems," said Samis-Smith. "Genetics do play a part, but for the majority of us, basic maintenance exercise will help prevent heart disease. And if you've had heart disease, exercise can help recuperate your heart."

Any cardiovascular exercise is a good option, and it doesn't necessarily have to be high intensity. It can be anything that gets your heart rate up: such as walking the dog, swimming, running, skipping, hiking. "Even walking through the grocery store can be exercise," Samis-Smith said.

Strength and resistance training also is good for the heart because of the intensity of the activity. "Your heart is going to rev over and above any normal activity for you," Sena said. "If you're running up a hill or lifting weights, your heart rate is going to be higher. The weight bearing, strength training activity can and should make the heart rate even higher due to the higher exertion levels."

Interval training strengthens the heart just like training the biceps or triceps through repetitions equals exertion. "You do the same with the heart by increasing and decreasing its heart rate," Sena said. "Like shifting gears in your car, You take your heart rate up to a higher percentage of max heart rate, such as 70 or 80 percent, and then bring it back down to 50 or 60 percent. Then you bring it back up to 70 or 80, or 90 percent. No one should ever exercise at 100 percent of maximum heart rate for more than several seconds continuously.

"Interval training also improves the heart's stroke volume, which is the volume of blood that pumps per beat of the heart; the lower the stroke volume, the healthier the heart. Which obviously equates to lower beats per minute. When you do that you have a healthier heart at a lower idle. The best way to monitor heart rate is to use a use a heart rate monitor."

How much is enough?

The surgeon general recommends 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week. That's 30 minutes per day at least five days a week.

"Moderate means you can still feel your heart rate but be able to carry on a conversation without gasping for air," said Samis-Smith. "Even if you only had time to do 10-minute blocks, that's equally as effective. Some people might only be able to fit 10 minutes in at a time. Lunch would be a good time to move. You can even fit in exercise while watching TV. Get up and walk in place during commercials. Lift some hand weights, go up and down the stairs, or walk around the living room. It sounds funny but it works. Use those two minutes productively."