EXERCISE YOUR HEART, LUNGS AND CIRCULATION

Not so long ago people were told to rest after a heart attack. Today, there is ample evidence that a gradual exercise programme can extend and improve the quality of your life after a heart attack, and may even help prevent another one from occuring.

The heart is a muscle, and like every muscle in the body it needs oxygen from the blood. Exercise increases the number and size of the blood vessels in all the muscles of the body and it reduces the likelihood of a clot forming in one of the heart's blood vessels, which is one cause of a heart attack. Blood vessels also become more elastic as you exercise, so they are less likely to rupture under pressure. Exercise increases the efficiency of the heart muscle, so that it pumps blood more efficiently through the body.

The Lungs
Exercise enables your lungs to function more effectively. A gentle, gradually increasing exercise programme can help to overcome the problems, such as the fear of not being able to breathe deeply enough, caused by asthma and emphysema. Mild emphysema is a common lung condition in which the alveoli (air sacs) of the lungs become overextended and less efficient, usually as a result of smoking and pollution.
Although exercise does not reverse the underlying damage to the lungs, it can increase the amount of activity that can be undertaken. Even people with severe emphysema, who become breathless after the slightest effort, can benefit and as a result, maintain or regain some independence. Cycling is good cardiovascular exercise. When undertaken three or four times a week, it can help with weight loss.