Health

Heart Health: How Much Should You Exercise?

As little as 15 minutes of exercise helps. Today we look at how much you should do to optimize your heart health.

Photo by Aan Nizal on Unsplash

“If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” So opined Eubie Blake, a pianist, and composer of jazz and ragtime, who lived from 1887 to 1983.

You know that exercise is right for you. Even minimal physical activity can advance your health and sense of well-being. I am a strong advocate of incorporating walking into a physical activity program, but a thoughtful reader recently led me to think about how much aerobic activity we need to do to optimize cardiovascular health.

Today we begin with a review of some optimal lab numbers before turning to physical activity benefits, from walking to running. More specifically, I will focus on optimal levels of exercise for a healthy heart.

So, you want to get your heart in tip-top shape. You may immediately think about physical activity, the subject of our discussion today. First, here are some other keys to good heart health.

The numbers

Let’s start with some numbers, including the big three:

• Blood pressure. The normal is 119/79 or below. Pre-high blood pressure is 120 to 139 systolic pressure (the top number on your blood pressure measurement) and 80 to 89 diastolic pressure (the second number).
• Fasting blood sugar. As measured after you don’t eat or drink anything except water for at least 12 hours, your fasting blood sugar can indicate type 2 diabetes. A normal blood sugar level is 100 or less. A blood sugar of 101 to 125 indicates “pre-diabetes.” Finally, a fasting blood sugar of 126 or more indicates diabetes.
• Cholesterol. If your so-called bad cholesterol is too high, you have a higher risk of having a heart event, such as a heart attack. On the other hand, having elevated levels of good cholesterol is protective. Here’s how these numbers play out: Desirable levels for adults include total cholesterol of under 200. A bad (LDL) cholesterol level should be under 100, while good (HDL) cholesterol should be at least 60. Finally, triglycerides…