Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and public health activist who specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women. Her Moving Free™ approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn’t feel like work.
February 14th is Valentine’s Day. And since 1963, when Congress and the American Heart Association declared the month of February American Heart Month, the month for lovers has also been the month for protecting your heart against heart disease.
In keeping with this tradition I’d like to suggest some February reading for anyone concerned about their heart. In his book Outliving Heart Disease leading cardiologist Dr. Richard Stein, cuts through the clutter and gives an effective game plan to live by. And one of the things he stresses is the importance of regular aerobic exercise.
(Brisk walking, jogging, biking, swimming, and low impact aerobic dance are all good examples.)
I’ve been an advocate of aerobic exercise, both doing it and teaching it for over 20 years. But these days with Pilates and Yoga being the fitness flavors of the day, aerobic exercise is all but forgotten even by many fitness enthusiasts. Bad idea!
The health and fitness results that can be achieved with aerobic exercise alone are nearly magical. In fact, just a half hour of moderate daily aerobic exercise can cut your risk of a heart attack by a whooping 50%; and that’s not all!
Aerobic exercise can:
- Help to develop a stronger, more efficient heart muscle
- Improve aerobic capacity
- Reduce blood pressure
- Stimulate metabolism and reduce weight gain
- Help regulate glucose metabolism to prevent diabetes
- Increase the HDL or good cholesterol (which helps promote healthier arteries)
As if that’s not enough, aerobic exercise increases the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain improving mental function. Also, during exercise, endorphins are released in the brain that seem to help reduce stress. And research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that certain types of dance, particularly with routines to learn and remember, may help prevent age-onset memory loss and diseases like Alzheimer’s. “…. cognitive activity may stave off dementia by increasing a person’s “cognitive reserve.” **
So for a true mind-body workout, go out dancing with your Valentine, take an aerobics class or break out those low impact aerobic dance videos.
*For a free 20 minute online video heart lecture by Richard Stein, MD www.movingfree.com
** Dr Joe Verghese, lead author of study conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, N Engl J Med, 2003; 348:2508-2516.
Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com
