Exercise can help prevent severe strokes
Apart from keeping you fit and helping to control excessive weight gain, exercise also reduces your chances of getting a severe stroke. Your level of activity before the stroke is strongly related to how severe the stroke is and how long it takes you to recover.
If you were physically active before the stroke, recovery time is usually shorter than for people who have not been physically active. Physical activity does not mean running a marathon! Housework, gardening, walking the dog and mowing the lawn are all forms of exercise.
Exercise keeps the heart and blood vessels healthy and helps in weight control. If you add a healthy diet, don’t smoke, reduce alcohol intake and have a healthy body weight, you can decrease your stroke risk by up to 80%. No medication can do that for you!
Exercise boosts “good” cholesterol
If you’re not exercising already, here’s another good reason to do so. According to a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a review of previously-published studies showed that aerobic exercise (the kind that gets your heart pumping fast) can help increase the levels of “good” (HDL) cholesterol in your body. The increase was greatest in people who were obese and those with high cholesterol.
Unfortunately a couple of jumping jacks are not going to do the trick! Apparently, you need to exercise for at least 30 minutes at a go and for a total of 2 hours a week to get the full benefits.
What kind of exercises should I do?
Some examples:
- walking
- jogging
- skipping (jumping rope)
- swimming
- cycling
The good news is that:
- the intensity of the exercise was less important than the duration, i.e. you can exercise gently and still enjoy the benefits, and
- you don’t have to go on any special diet (though you are watching what you eat already, right?)
Why the fuss about HDL?
HDL has a protective effect on the heart and blood vessels. Higher levels of HDL decrease your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (heart disease, strokes e.t.c.). When you combine this with other lifestyle changes it can make a big difference.
There a drugs that can raise you HDL levels much higher than aerobic exercise, but if you’re looking for drug-free options, this may be the way to go.