Lifestyle Modifications for Heart Disease and Diabetes
My Dad recently had open-heart surgery for a quadruple bypass. He is doing fairly well and just started his 12 week cardiac rehab at the clinic.
He is a non-exerciser and has type II diabetes, which usually hits adults who are overweight and lead sedentary lifestyles, like my father. After failing a routine stress test, he was ordered to undertake more tests, which determined that he had a 100% blockage in one artery.
Not getting enough movement throughout your day can make it difficult to control your blood sugar levels, which can increase your risk of further health problems, including heart disease.
So right now, having to go to rehab three times a week is actually a good thing. Hopefully, after the 12 weeks is over, he will have developed a habit which he continues - getting more movement throughout his weekly routine.
You may have noticed that I have avoided using the word "exercise" and replaced it with "movement."
For many people, exercise has negative feelings associated with it and think that it includes many hours spent at the gym or healthclub, walking on a treadmill that leads to nowhere, while watching TV to overcome the inherent boredom.
The reality is that 15 -20 minutes of "movement" here and there adds up at the end of the week and can make a difference in your health. One study has shown that as little as 72 minutes of moderate exerise per week such as walking can improve fitness levels and your health.
The benefits for this were small, yet anything is better than nothing. Dad is also doing some seated exercise with therapy bands and when he "graduates", hopefully I can keep him going with some additional resistance training.....
but he will definitely have to do some walking on his own - not just because of his heart, but to keep his limited mobility from getting worse.
He's not the only one to make lifestyle modifications, my Mom has attended different meetings to learn about cooking modifications for heart disease. She has to become just as involved in the program as he does.
Which is fine, because she knows she has a couple pounds to drop, as well. One thing I told her is to walk for as little as 10-15 minutes on the home treadmill they have. At the end of the week, it all adds up.
15 minutes in the morning and 15-20 minutes of strength training 2-3 times a week will yield increased health benefits. If you haven't moved much in a while or haven't been eating well, start out with small changes - Baby Steps, if you will.
If you're a night person like me, do your exercise in the afternoon or evening to help reduce any stress that may have occurred throughout your day.
Get Moving!
Brian
He is a non-exerciser and has type II diabetes, which usually hits adults who are overweight and lead sedentary lifestyles, like my father. After failing a routine stress test, he was ordered to undertake more tests, which determined that he had a 100% blockage in one artery.
Not getting enough movement throughout your day can make it difficult to control your blood sugar levels, which can increase your risk of further health problems, including heart disease.
So right now, having to go to rehab three times a week is actually a good thing. Hopefully, after the 12 weeks is over, he will have developed a habit which he continues - getting more movement throughout his weekly routine.
You may have noticed that I have avoided using the word "exercise" and replaced it with "movement."
For many people, exercise has negative feelings associated with it and think that it includes many hours spent at the gym or healthclub, walking on a treadmill that leads to nowhere, while watching TV to overcome the inherent boredom.
The reality is that 15 -20 minutes of "movement" here and there adds up at the end of the week and can make a difference in your health. One study has shown that as little as 72 minutes of moderate exerise per week such as walking can improve fitness levels and your health.
The benefits for this were small, yet anything is better than nothing. Dad is also doing some seated exercise with therapy bands and when he "graduates", hopefully I can keep him going with some additional resistance training.....
but he will definitely have to do some walking on his own - not just because of his heart, but to keep his limited mobility from getting worse.
He's not the only one to make lifestyle modifications, my Mom has attended different meetings to learn about cooking modifications for heart disease. She has to become just as involved in the program as he does.
Which is fine, because she knows she has a couple pounds to drop, as well. One thing I told her is to walk for as little as 10-15 minutes on the home treadmill they have. At the end of the week, it all adds up.
15 minutes in the morning and 15-20 minutes of strength training 2-3 times a week will yield increased health benefits. If you haven't moved much in a while or haven't been eating well, start out with small changes - Baby Steps, if you will.
If you're a night person like me, do your exercise in the afternoon or evening to help reduce any stress that may have occurred throughout your day.
Get Moving!
Brian
