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Mayo Clinic Minute: A little moving goes a long way for heart health
Moving is good for your health. But how much exercise do you need, and what type is best? What if you just don't have time? Dr. Stephen Kopecky, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, has tips about how you can fit more movement into your day.
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
We all know that exercise is good for us.
"The guidelines say to get 150 minutes of exercise a week, or if it's vigorous, do 75 minutes a week. And ... maybe 1 in 10 people in America do that."
Dr. Stephen Kopecky says that's a problem.
"It's not anymore about the 'what.' We know we need to be active. It's not about the 'why' because it lowers so many of the bad things that happen to us throughout life — not just heart disease. It's all about the 'how.' How can we do it with our lifestyle being as incredibly busy and packed as it is?"
He says if you do two things, you will be healthier.
"One is not to be sedentary, meaning don't sit. At least get up every hour and move around."
The second thing is to be vigorously active. No time for the gym? No problem. Go up several flights of stairs as fast as you can a few times a day.
"I call it accidental exercise, meaning put yourself in the situation where you kind of have to do it."
Park in back of the lot so you have to walk, and skip the elevator at work. Moving more throughout the day can improve your heart health.