I'd walk a mile for heart health
Get into the rhythm of a moderate walk around town so you can keep your heart's rhythm as regular as a drum machine.
A new study looked at levels of exercise — measured in terms of city blocks walked per week — to show that light to moderate exercise helped prevent atrial fibrillation in those who are most prone to it: older people.
About 2.2 million Americans have this arrhythmia, according to the American Heart Association. In atrial fibrillation, the two upper chambers of the heart tend to twitch rather than beat steadily, and it's especially common after age 65. About one in five people develop it within 10 years of turning 65.
The study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston studied the physical activities of 5,446 people with an average age of 73. For the exercise to be effective, it doesn't have to be rigorous but it helps to be regular.
The researchers discovered the incidence of the heart abnormality was 22 percent lower in those walking five to 11 blocks a week, compared with those who walked fewer than five blocks a week. The incidence was 24 percent lower for those walking 12 to 23 blocks weekly, 33 percent lower for 24 to 59 blocks, and 44 percent lower for those walking 60 or more blocks a week.
The study also found an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation in young people who exercise hard, such as marathon runners. Hard exercise can raise the risk of blood pooling into clots that move to the heart or brain with disastrous consequences.
The key is light to moderate exercise—which can even include dancing. I find it's important to remind patients that exercise often happens when you're not thinking about it — just get in the habit of walking up two flights of stairs rather than riding the elevator, or parking in the nice shady spot at the far end of the parking lot. Be community-spirited — return the shopping cart all the way to the store. The extra steps are good for you.
