A healthy heart is like a rubber band. The more elastic it is, the better it works. A new study by Benjamin Levine at the Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas shows lifelong exercise can help your heart stay that way.

While starting to exercise late in life has its benefits, Dr. Levine says:  “You don’t want to wait too long if you want to try to make these major structural changes.”

Between the ages of 45 and 60 is when the heart typically starts to stiffen. To reduce those effects, exercise should be a conscious part of your daily routine. “Four to five days a week we think is the right dose to make sure that you have the maximum benefits.”

The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, was presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
Source;  HHS HealthBeat

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Very good information. What is the best types of exercises that you would recommend for the cardiovascular benefits? I would suspect that aerobic type exercising would be the best but I have recently read that light to moderate weight training along with a good aerobic type workout also has its benefits. Any thoughts?

The key is to just get started. Once the momentum with exercise is built up, do not quit. It gets harder the older one is to just take the first step and get started.

The heart is like a rubber band..I like that! But just exercising is important, it's also vital to stop the things that a detrimental to your health as well i.e consuming unhealthy foods, smoking, drinking and so on..

Very important point, not only for the well being of the heart, improving all of the blood related functions will greatly improve all of the bodies functions. It does not take a huge time investment either. The right type of exercise for only 20 to 30 minutes a day total will bring dramatic results. Great side benefit is that it will increase your base metabolic rate and cause you to lose stored body fat. Not only does your heart strength improve, you look and feel better also!

thanks for this information, no doubt that exercise is one of the most important thing in life, we dont want to grow older while being sick and weak

This is important information and the reason that people should start as early as possible with exercise is that it is a must to get into a routine to be able to continue the same way at a later age.

This is a very interesting article. It clearly shows the importance of exercising at a younger age since this offers more benefits. I was always under the assumption that exercise had equal benefits regardless of age.

Absolutely right,sport is what we need to be more energetic in our life. But what about bad food,smoking,drinking,drugs? I think it is also important talking about heart problems.It's very simple,if you live healthy life ,your body and soul also will be healthy.

I have suffered with Angina for many years and as the complaint grew worse I was sure it was related to activity. It was only when I attended a pain management course at a local hospital that I was taken VERY gently through exercise routines that I discovered that I could do far more than I ever thought I could. Exercise can be a big scary word for someone in pain to contemplate but if you can start off with routines that are well within your limits it can change your life. Best wishes - Mark

It seems like there are a zillion reasons to exercise regularly for the mind, body and spirit. It surprises me how many people don't. My rubber band is getting a great workout everyday for as long as it's willing.

Juicing can be a great way to improve your health, not only is it healthy for you, but it tastes great. Plus you will be getting all your required servings of fruits and vegetables in a single serving and helping to prevent many common health conditions as well.

Exercise gives a lot of benefits not only with concerns to our heart but also keeps our body healthy. Thank you so much for sharing this informative post. I gained a lot especially the importance of exercise to out life.

Exercise is definitely good for health. However you need to start off slowly especially if you have not been exercising or active for a while. Slowly build up your routine especially if you are above 45.

Wow, this is such an informative article about heart health. I did not know that to keep our heart healthy we need to exercise 4-5 times a week. I guess I should to start doing it more often. Thanks for sharing! Very appreciated!

Its very nice and informative post about heart.Heart is main part of body all blood circulation are carried out through heart. yes it is like rubber band like you stretch more it will be more flexible. same way you exercise for heart it will be more flexible to do all its necessary functions. again thanks for this post

This makes a lot of sense and it helps to explain why more, lower intensity exercise is so useful. Walking rather than driving to the shops, getting off the bus a stop or two earlier than you need to and so on. Every little bit is going to help.

As well as regular exercise it is also important to take care of your diet, and include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Juicing can be a good way to do this. Reducing the stress in our lives is also important, and this is another important way that exercise is beneficial, as it does help to reduce our stress levels and makes us feel more happy and relaxed .

A lot of people seem to have a negative connotation about the word "exercise", but if you think about it, you are technically exercising whenever you move your body. Like someone else said, a 30 minute walk every day is a great way to exercise and live healthy.

Great to be visiting your journal again, it’s been a long time for me. Well this specific writing is what i have been wishing for so long. I need this content to finish my college project, and your write-up is a great help. Many thanks, cool share.

Very nice information. One type of light exercise and fun is the sport of cycling. Cycling exercise much-loved by all ages. Ranging from children and adults. Cycling sports can train our muscles, especially lower body muscles and cardiac muscles. Besides it can make up our bodies become more athletic. With a healthy body and athleticism will make us more confident

Even a simple 30 minute walk each day can improve your health. Exercise doesn't always have to be super strenuous to be beneficial.

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Your posts are really fun reading. Nice indeed.

Very true. Exercise benefit not only the older generation but to the young generation as well. With obesity as the number one problem in the first world countries, it is a good idea to start doing some kind of exercise when still young.

Exercise is the key to have a healthy body. It is accompanied by proper diet. Meditation is the kind of exercise that I do everyday. It helps me relax and stay calm too.

As an older woman, I am hesitant to exercise. My joints ache already and arthritis runs in my family. Can you suggest exercises which are less strenuous and still heart-smart?

Good article and a lot of information available. I enjoyed reading about this entry and all the information was very helpful to me. This topic is quite new to me but I am interested in the article is well written thank you

There are numerous reasons why it is an advantage to exercise. There is no such thing as too old to exercise. As long as one will do the right exercise for a particular age bracket. It's always a wisdom to consult your physician to the kind of exercise that you can do just to be safe.