Give Your Heart a Break

With so much fuss about having a great body, it is important to lose sight of the true health benefits of proper diet in exercise.

Cardiovascular exercise in particular has major health benefits in a very important area---your heart.

In fact, the root word "cardio" refers specifically to the heart.

"Vascular" refers to the tissues of the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the organs of the body.

Along with a proper diet, this "cardiovascular" activities helps to promote healthy heart functioning in two major ways:

1. Works to give you a better flow of blood to the organs by cutting down on crusty cholesterol build-up.

2. Gives the heart a workout and keeps it "in shape" so that it does not have to work as hard during your daily activities because it is actually used to much more.

These benefits are invaluable to helping to prevent several conditions, some of which could be fatal.

The first is angina. This condition is pretty common and is caused when there is an insufficient supply of oxygen flowing to the heart.

Generally the condition is referred to as "chest pains" and is characterized by a very dull ache under the breast plate.

Most of us have this condition now and again so there's no need for much alarm if you've noticed it. However, if it becomes chronic, you will definitely want to consult a doctor to make sure that its not a precursor to a more serious problem.

The second condition is stroke. This is a more serious side affect of an over-worked heart with insufficient blood flow to the brain. The actual condition itself is actually a result of the brain's lack of oxygen.

The third and most serious condition is the heart attack. One of the leading causes of death in the world, heart attack is an elevated form of angina where not only is the oxygen flow to the heart insufficient, but completely cut off.

By doing cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis and keeping a generally clean diet, you can effectively avoid all of these conditions or at least delay them giving yourself years and years of additional life to enjoy.

So give your heart a break by keeping up a strong cardiovascular program...it truly is a urgent matter of "life and death"!