They carried him out on a stretcher. The doctor said it was a heart attack; nothing anyone could do. Aged 62 recently retired.... it is an unfortunate script that is played out every day in family homes around the world. At least he didn't suffer the doctor said, since it happened while he slept. Cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease, stroke and blood vessel disease) or CVD is the single leading cause of death in the world. At present the World Health Organization estimates that 16.7 million deaths each are attributed to CVD and this toll is expected to rise to 25 million deaths around the globe by 2020. CVD is responsible for approximately one half of all deaths and one half of all healthy life years lost making it more deadly that all forms of cancer and the sad part is much of it is premature and preventable. Your heart is a muscle just like other muscles on your body. You can beef it up and keep it strong and healthy, or you can let it get scrawny, weak and susceptible to disease. The heart is not some mysterious beating organ, but rather a pure, powerhouse muscle that responds to exercise the same way other muscles do. The cardiovascular (heart/lung) system works together with the muscular system, every muscle you have acts as an auxiliary heart. Healthy muscle tone in other muscles helps keep the blood circulating. Strong abdominal muscles aid the diaphragm in pumping blood to the heart while breathing. Although the heart pumps blood to the muscles, it is the muscles that help the return of blood to the heart. Well-toned leg muscles contract and compress veins and push, or "milk" the blood towards the heart whenever you move your legs. Give Your Heart a Regular Beating Scientific research has shown that exercise can slow down our aging clock. While aerobic exercise, such as jogging, cycling or swimming, has many excellent health benefits - it does not make your muscles strong. Strength training is the only exercise that can do this. Like all muscles, the heart becomes stronger and larger as a result of strength training so it can pump more blood. Since it's throwing out more blood it doesn't need to pump as often even when its owner is sleeping or resting. A well-trained heart can be 30 to 40% larger than a normal heart and pump 50% more blood with each beat. The resting heart rate of those who exercise is also slower because less effort is needed to pump blood, the heart becomes more efficient with less work. If you slow your pulse from 70 to 60 beats per minute you will save over 14,000 heartbeats a day saving wear and tear on the heart and blood vessels. In other words, our heart becomes a more efficient machine producing less beats over a lifetime which correlates with our living a longer life. A common wish amongst people is to live a long and healthy life. In order for this wish to be successful, exercise is essential. A proper strength training exercise program is recommended 2-3 times per week. The better the condition of your muscles, the more they can help your heart. If you haven't exercised before don't be put off from starting, as soon as you start your risk of cardiovascular problems drops by 25%. This could improve the quality of your life greatly in the latter 10 - 20 years of your life. It could literally save a life - yours!
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