see also:

• atherosclerosis and primary prevention
• obesity and weight management
• Am Heart Association recommendations for exercise in adults

• regular exercise is critical to maintain cardiovascular health, reduce chronic disease risks including cancer and improve mental health
• care must be taken thought to avoid injury from exercise which can then make exercise levels difficult to achieve

• it seems that one can reverse years of adverse cardiac effects from long standing sedentary lifestyles in the middle age by adopting an exercise program with the following minimal levels:
  • it has to be something they have access to
  • it has to be something they enjoy
  • it has to be alternating impact and low impact, and each week:
    • at least one or two long sessions (1hr) of brisk walking, dancing or sport such as tennis
    • at least one or two high intensity aerobic sessions (20-30min) of cycling, jogging, swimming, walking up hills, etc.
    • at least two or three moderate exercise sessions which raise a sweat but not shortness of breath such as moderate walking
  • yoga or weight lifting do not improve cardiovascular fitness, but each have their own benefits and risks if not performed with care

• dimethylguanidino valeric acid (DMVG), exercise and health
  • increasing exercise can lower levels of dimethylguanidino valeric acid (DMVG), a molecule in the blood linked to poor health outcomes BUT those with “more room to improve” – actually saw less benefit from exercise than people with lower baseline levels of DMVG – those in better health to begin with. DMGV was associated with adverse metabolic risk even in very young individuals free of overt disease. DMGV levels may identify individuals who are less responsive to the metabolic health benefits of endurance exercise training and may require additional therapies beyond guideline-directed exercise to improve their metabolic health. ¹⁾