When Your Heart Fails You

This is a scary title, isn't it?

Unfortunately, our hearts do fail us and we need to be aware of how to protect it, how to strengthen it and how to prevent disease from compromising it - most of which we have already discussed.

Here we go with the research, founded by ACSM's Wolters Kluwer:

• Heart failure is the most common diagnosis of hospital addmision in older adults (silver sneakers)

• More than 1,000,000 cases yearly, in the US

• 25% of those patients are readmitted within 30 days

• 66% of those patients are readmitted within 365 days

• In 2010 over 6,000,000 cases had been diagnosed

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FITT FOR AEROBIC

Frequency: 3 - 5 days per week

Intensity: 60% - 80% of Heart Rate Reserve (HRR formula below)

Time: Progressively increase to 30 minutes/day, then 60 minutes/day

Type: Treadmill, walking, stationary cycling, elliptical

FITT FOR STRENGTH

Frequency: 1 or 2 nonconsecutive days per week

Intensity: Lower body - 40% of 1 rep max

Upper body - 50% of 1 rep max

Over weeks - months, progress to 70% of 1 rep max

Time: 2 sets of 10 - 15 for each major muscle group

Type: Machine, pulley system, body weight, exercise bands, etc.

FITT FOR FLEXIBILTY

Frequency: At least 2 - 3 days per week, preferably daily

Intensity: To slight discomfort

Time: Hold for 10 - 30 seconds, two - four times

Type: Static, dynamic, PNF

HRR = percentage of target intensity * (HRmax – HRrest) + HRrest

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing & Prescription - 10th edition