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Most of us never give so much of a thought to the very most important muscle in our body - our heart. We expect it to beat away in the background like some faithful servant, never complaining, always reliable and on the job. But the sad thing is by the age of 40 years almost 50 percent of men and 30 percent of women will have heart disease and the tragedy is they will not even know about it. That is until they end up in the emergency room at the local hospital with a heart or brain disaster and by then it will be too late. With 60-85 percent of us living a sedentary and inactive lifestyle it is of little surprise that two thirds of us are also overweight. With these staggering statistics come many obvious and not so obvious health risks to our heart. We used to think that heart problems were something that struck older people just like lots of other diseases. But heart disease is making a play now-a-days for people much younger than you would expect. You see heart disease does not come out of the blue. The problems that lead to killer disease start in the arteries, the pipes that carry the blood and transport it to the body's organs. When fatty deposits clog and narrow these arteries it restricts blood flow. Damage is done to blood vessel walls along with increased blood pressure which places additional continuing strain on the heart system. The very most important thing you can do to help your heart is to get your entire muscular system strong and toned. When muscles are toned they assist the heart by pushing or 'milking' the blood back to the heart. Although the heart pumps blood to those very same muscles, when they move the toned and firm muscle fibers massage the veins helping to keep blood circulating. So every muscle in your body is a little auxiliary pump helping the heart to work more efficiently and taking strain off it by helping to keep blood circulating around the body. The only way to strengthen those muscles to share in the workload of the heart means a strength training program needs to be performed 2-3 times each week. You will not get this affect from 'cardio' type low intensity endurance activities as they do not work the muscles through their full ranges of movement under a load. Do not think of your heart as some mysterious beating organ but rather think of it as a big powerhouse muscle that responds to strengthening exercise just like other body muscles do. Like the other muscles you can beef it up and keep it strong and healthy with proper exercise or you can let it get scrawny, weak and susceptible to disease by letting your entire body weaken by not doing enough muscle building and maintaining exercise. Get yourself along to your local gym or fitness center and they will help you get started on a strength training program so not only will your heart get into tip top condition but all of your other muscles as well. Your heart will thank you by allowing you to live a longer, healthier and more productive life.
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "Ive Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!" here: Physical Wellness For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.
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