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Show Exercise, Reduce Stress For a More Healthy Heart Prescription for a healthy heart: Exercise and reduce stress. This death-defying "lifestyle package" will have a profound impact on human performance and reduce the risks of heart attack, says Susan Quaal, a clinical instructor at the University of Utah. On a recently completed study, Quaal startled a group of men ranging in age from 35 to 50 with the finding that 94 percent of them were in the poor or very poor fitness category. "Yet these people saw themselves as healthy," says Quaal, who is also a cardiovascular nurse clinician at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Salt lake City. "They intially doubted the accuracy of the calculations, then were jhocked to find they were at risk for coronary disease." Quaal, a veteran in coronary care units, notes a distressing trend: heart attack victims seem younger and there are more of them, including women. The solution, she emphasizes, is relatively simple: Regular aerobic exercise. Exercising only on weekends is not healthy," she stresses. "We need to make time for exercise, treat it as a priority and log it on appointment calendars just like an important business meeting." Aerobic exercise is any sustained activity that increases the heart rate and conditions the heart muscle, she explains. Examples are running, swimming and biking. Weight lifting, tennis and golf, on the other hand, are not aerobic. Reducing stress is equally important. She points to the self-styled "arsenic hour" between 5 and 6 p.m. when family members converge at home, each seeking attention to vent their day's frustrations. "One way to break the arsenic hour components is to have a short cool-down time," she says. "Children can learn to recognize and respect the 15 minutes of privacy needed every day to relax." All 50 participants in her award-winning study had desk jobs and were closely matched for responsiblities and stresses. None had heart disease, nor were their blood pressure or cholesterol levels high. To establish a ' "coronary profile" for each, the researcher assessed leisure-time physical activity after work; measured blood pressure and body fat percentage; estimated oxygen consumption during exercise; and drew blood samples to analyze fatty components, such as triglycerides and cholesterol. Estimated oxygen consumption is a measure of physical fitness, she notes. Also, key information about heart attack risks is revealed in the blood. While cholesterol has a bad reputation, one form, called high density lipoprotein, may be beneficial, she says. "We now know that HDL may help carry the other two cholesterol components through the blood stream to the bowel where they're eliminated." Physical training seems to increase HDL levels, she says. For instance, marathon runners have higher levels of HDL in their systems and a lower incidence of coronary disease. One man in my study had an HDL in the protective zone," says Quaal. "He jogs 45 minutes three times a reek. He doesn't run great distances, but it's continuous, on-going aerobic activity." Quaal offers this advice on leisure-time exercise: Talk with a physician before starting any exercise program. Get into group programs that are af fordable and near home. Avoid exercising alone. Develop a part nership which offers checks and balances. , |