The Reversed 'Couch Potato' Effect

Sitting Continuously for Long Hours Increases Risk of Heart Disease

One day we hear that sitting idle for hours together can increase risk of heart disease. Some other day we hear another news that nullifies this risk of heart disease. The latest is one such news that comes as a boon to inactive, middle-aged men and women.  A new study reveals that when such individuals start performing some workout, aerobic workout, cardio or something else of their choice, this might prevent or reverse their risk of heart failure.

Normally, individuals who lead a sedentary lifestyle sitting together for long number of hours working or lying down while watching television are at an increased risk of getting their heart muscle shrunk and stiffen during their late-middle age which is one of the major criteria for increasing their risk of heart failure.

To check whether this can be prevented or stopped, researchers encouraged a group of more than 50 men and women aged between 45-65 to start working out either on aerobic schedules, yoga or strength training programs. This monitoring by researchers continued for two years.

Individuals on aerobic exercises participated in high- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise at least four times a week. Another group of individuals did yoga, balance training or weight training thrice a week.

Heart health of each individual was noted down at the beginning and end of study. Individuals who were subjected to aerobic exercise had better oxygen utilization and decreased cardiac stiffness, two indicators of good heart health. But, these measures remained unchanged in the other group where individuals underwent balance or strength training.
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Hence, doing the right kind of exercise at least 4-5 times a week during the late-middle age can improve heart health greatly. If you are in your late-middle age and need recommendation on following a healthy diet chart along with recommended physical activity, get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com.