FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS --

Q: Why is exercise good for my heart?

A:  The link between exercise and a healthy heart is well established. Exercise has clinically been shown to help prevent heart disease as well as reduce the severity of exisiting heart disease. Because of its many benefits, exercise is strongly recommended by government health agencies and medical authorities, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Heart Association. Among its many benefits, exercise has been shown to:

• Help prevent and even reverse hardening of the arteries
• Reduce blood pressure
• Improve cholesterol levels.
• Reduce inflammation, which is increasingly linked to health problems.
• Reduce stress and depression, which are associated with heart disease.

Even beyond its cardiovascular benefits, exercise has also been associated with prevention of cancer, diabetes, obesity and other health problems that affect people as they age. The right kind of exercise, at the right intensity, can help people retain their strength, balance and flexibility as they age. Remember, never begin an exercise program without your physician’s approval.

Q:  Don't we get enough exercise during the day?

A:  Most Americans get little vigorous exercise at work or during leisure hours. Today, only a few jobs require vigorous physical activity. People usually ride in cars or buses and watch TV during their free time rather than be physically active. More vigorous exercise can help improve fitness of the heart and lungs, which can provide even more consistent benefits for lowering heart disease risk. Today, many people are rediscovering the benefits of regular, vigorous exercise - activities like swimming, brisk walking, running, or jumping rope. These kinds of activities are sometimes called "aerobic" - meaning the body uses oxygen to produce the energy needed for the activity. Aerobic exercises can condition your heart and lungs if performed at the proper intensity for at least 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week. But you don't have to train like a marathon runner to become more physically fit! Any activity that gets you moving around, even it it's done for just a few minutes each day, is better than none at all. For inactive people, the trick is to get started. One great way is to take a walk for 10-15 minutes during your lunch break.

Q:  How many calories can I burn doing various activities?  How will it help me lose weight?

A:  You need to burn off 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. If you want to lose weight, regular physical activity can help you in either of two ways.   First, you can 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 decides to walk briskly each day for 1 1/2 miles will lose about 14 pounds in 1 year. Or second, you can eat fewer calories and be more active. This is an even better way to lose weight.   About three-fourths of the energy you burn every day comes from what your body uses for its basic needs, such as sleeping, breathing, digesting food and reclining. A person burns up only a small amount of calories with daily activities such as sitting. Any physical activity in addition to what you normally do will burn up extra calories. Working harder or faster for a given activity will only slightly increase the calories spent. A better way to burn up more calories is to increase the time spent on your activity.  The average calories spent per hour by a 150-pound person are listed below. (A lighter person burns fewer calories; a heavier person burns more.) Since exact calorie figures are not available for most activities, the figures below are averaged from several sources and show the relative vigor of the activities.

The calories spent in a particular activity vary in proportion to one's body weight. For example, a 100-pound person burns 1/3 fewer calories, so you would multiply the number of calories by 0.7. For a 200-pound person, multiply by 1.3.