Eight Tips for Heart Health

Eight Tips for Heart Health

● Become—and stay—physically active.
● Balance your calorie intake with the calories you burn in physical activity.
● Lose weight if you’re overweight.
● If you smoke, stop. Avoid other people’s smoke if you can.
● Control high blood pressure.
● Control high blood cholesterol.
● Control diabetes.
● Choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt.
Enjoy more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

heart disease.
Physical Activity: The Calorie Connection One way that regular physical activity protects against heart disease is by burning extra calories, which helps you to lose excess weight or stay at your desirable weight. To understand how physical activity affects calories, it is helpful to consider the concept of “energy balance.” Energy balance is the amount of calories you take
in relative to the amount of calories you burn. Per week, you need to burn off about 3,500 more calories than you take in to lose 1 pound. If you need to lose weight for your health, regular
physical activity can help you through one of two approaches.

First, you can choose to eat your usual amount of calories, but be more active. For example, a 200-pound person who keeps on
eating the same amount of calories, but begins to walk briskly each day for 11/2 miles, will lose about 14 pounds in 1 year. Staying active will also help to keep the weight off.

Second, you can eat fewer calories and be more active. This is the best way to lose weight, since you’re more likely to be successful by combining a healthful, lower-calorie diet with physical activity. For example, a 200-pound person who consumes 250 fewer calories per day, and begins to walk briskly each day for 11/2 miles, will lose about 40 pounds in 1 year.

Most of the energy you burn each day—about three quarters of it— goes to activities that your body automatically engages in for survival, such as breathing, sleeping, and digesting food. The part of your energy output that you control is daily physical activity. Any activity you take part in beyond your body’s automatic activities will burn extra calories. Even seated activities, such as using the computer or watching TV, will burn calories—but only a very small number. That’s why it’s important to make time each day for moderate-tovigorous physical activity. .

The benefits Keep Coming It is hard to imagine a single practice with more health benefits than regular physical activity. In addition to protecting your heart in numerous ways, staying active:
■ May help to prevent cancers of the breast, uterus, and colon.
■ Strengthens your lungs and helps them to work more efficiently.
■ Tones and strengthens your muscles.
■ Builds stamina.
■ Keeps your joints in good condition.
■ Improves balance.
■ May slow bone loss.
Regular physical activity can also boost the way you feel. It may:
■ Give you more energy.
■ Help you to relax and cope better with stress.
■ Build confidence.
■ Allow you to fall asleep more quickly and sleep more soundly.
■ Help you to beat the blues.
■ Provide an enjoyable way to share time with friends or family.

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Go for the Burn!

Some physical activities burn more calories than others. Below are the
average number of calories a 154-pound person will burn, per hour, for
a variety of activities. (A lighter person will burn fewer calories; a heavier
person will burn more.) As you can see, vigorous-intensity activities
burn more calories than moderate-intensity activities.

Moderate Physical Activity : Calories Burned per Hour

Hiking : 370
Light gardening/yard work : 330
Dancing : 330
Golf (walking and carrying clubs) : 330
Bicycling (less than 10 mph) : 290
Walking (3.5 mph) : 280
Weight lifting (light workout) : 220
Stretching : 180

Vigorous Physical Activity : Calories Burned per Hour

Running/jogging : 590
Bicycling (more than 10 mph) : 590
Swimming (slow freestyle laps) : 510
Aerobics : 480
Walking (4.5 mph) : 460
Heavy yard work (chopping wood, : 440
for example)
Weight lifting (vigorous workout) : 440
Basketball (vigorous) : 440
Vigorous Physical Activity Calories Burned per Hour

Source: Adapted from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report