What if there was a way to predict what your future heart health might look like? Well there just may be and it’s done by measuring your fitness level mid-life, starting in your 40’s.
Two studies were done…one by the Cooper Institute in Dallas and another by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. The results of both indicated that potential heart problems could be predicted by determining your level of fitness.
We already know that certain risk factors can also indicate whether or not you are more likely to have future heart problems, such as smoking and obesity. But now we have another measuring tool, our level of fitness.
It’s a fairly simple way of measuring your fitness midlife. It’s done on a treadmill and they look at how fast you can run a mile. Researchers have found the results of this to be just as effective as taking into account risk factors that could lead to heart problems.
Running on the treadmill specifically tests for muscle fatigue and cardiovascular endurance. So your level of fitness in your 40’s will indicate your chance of suffering from cardiovascular problems like heart disease later in life.
While researchers aren’t quite ready to make this an official way of measuring heart risks, it still brings to light the importance of fitness. And it is never too late to start.
If for no other reason, then shouldn’t your future heart health be a motivator? So often we look at exercise as being a way to lose weight and we lose sight of the fact that it’s important to our overall health. It affects all of the important functions in your body, most especially your heart.
To know that you could potentially ward off heart problems by implementing exercise into your day…well isn’t that motivation enough?
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Photo by cory finlayson