|NHLBI Offers Complete Guide to Physical Activity for a Healthy
About 60 percent of U.S. adults do not get the recommended levels of physical
activity, yet research suggests that regular physical activity is essential for
maintaining a healthy heart. To help people jump-start and maintain a physical
activity program for their heart, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a new publication.
“Your Guide to Physical Activity and Your Heart” presents comprehensive and
easy-to-understand information on the impact of physical activity on your heart,
as well as the power of physical activity to keep you healthy overall. Since
physical inactivity is one of several major heart disease risk factors that you
can do something about, the 44-page guide is full of practical tips, including
sample walking and jogging programs, instructions for finding your target heart
rate zone, ideas for making fitness a family affair, and an overview of the best
physical activities for a healthy heart.
“When it comes to getting in shape, what’s good for you is good for your whole
family,” said NHLBI’s Karen A. Donato, S.M., R.D., program coordinator of both We
Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition), NIH's
national education program to prevent childhood obesity, and the NHLBI Obesity
Education Initiative. “To maintain health, all adults should be moderately active
for at least 30 minutes per day on most days of the week. To help manage body
weight and prevent unhealthy weight gain, at least 60 minutes per day is recommended.
Children and adolescents also need to be active for at least 60 minutes per day.
So pry the kids off the couch and help yourself stay fit as well by doing enjoyable
There are many ways people can incorporate physical activity into everyday
life such as:
- Use the stairs — both up and down — instead of the elevator.
Start with one flight of stairs and gradually build up to more.
- Park a few blocks from the office or store and walk the rest of the way.
If you take public transportation, get off a stop or two early and walk a few
- While working, take frequent activity breaks. Get up and stretch, walk around,
and give your muscles and mind a change of pace.
- Instead of eating that extra snack, take a brisk stroll around the neighborhood
or your office building.
- Do housework, gardening, or yard work at a more vigorous pace.
- When you travel, walk around the train station, bus station, or airport
rather than sitting and waiting.
In addition to providing information on protecting your heart, the guide also
addresses the many other benefits of regular physical activity like burning extra
calories, building stamina, improving balance, strengthening your lungs, and
boosting the way you feel. It deals with the myths and motivational barriers
associated with physical activity, while providing practical advice and suggestions
for getting the most health benefits from a physical activity program.
The new guide is the latest in the NHLBI Your Guide to Better Health series.
The series provides easy-to-read science-based health information and features
compelling testimonials from people about their real-life experiences with improving
their health. Other Guides include Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood
Pressure With DASH; Your Guide to a Healthy Heart; Your Guide
to Lowering Your Cholesterol With TLC; Your Guide to Living Well With
Heart Disease; and Your Guide to Healthy Sleep.
The guides can be downloaded for free from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/phy_active.htm or can be ordered through the NHLBI
Information Center, (301) 301-592-8573 or 240-629-3255 (TTY) or online at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/yourguide/.
For more information:
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and A Healthier You (http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/)
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the
causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung,
and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national
health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children,
and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research
Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common
and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.