Michael Yorio, M.D.
Deena Casiero, M.D.
Staying active is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Regular physical activity will reduce the risk of developing future heart disease. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends a goal of at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
In addition to its role in the primary prevention of heart disease, regular physical activity has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of some of the most common risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A balanced diet to maintain a healthy body weight, avoidance of tobacco, and regular exercise should be considered the key components of an action plan intended to maintain a healthy heart.
As you exercise, your heart becomes stronger and learns to be more efficient at delivering oxygenated blood to the rest of your body. It pumps out more blood with each contraction and the oxygen demand of the heart muscle itself decreases. This allows your heart to deliver more oxygen to other tissues in your body with less effort. In time, your resting blood pressure decreases because your heart has become better at its job. Regular physical activity has been shown to have a positive effect on lipid metabolism, which helps to decrease your LDL (bad cholesterol) while increasing your HDL (good cholesterol). Some studies have shown that endurance exercise can lower triglyceride levels as well. Aerobic exercise and resistance training also have a beneficial effect on glucose control in patients with Type II diabetes. During exercise, the body uses glucose found in your muscle and bloodstream as fuel. So, as patients with high glucose levels in the blood begin to exercise the glucose is more efficiently transported into muscle cells to use as energy. This helps improve total-body glucose tolerance.
Before you begin an exercise program you should talk with your healthcare provider. This will ensure that your exercise prescription is tailored to your medical condition and fitness level. The Department of Sports Medicine at ProHEALTH can perform exercise physiology testing and design a custom exercise plan for you based on your interests, schedule, fitness level, and individual needs.
For more about the exercise recommendations released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html .
Michael Yorio, MD is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and has a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. In 2008, Dr. Yorio was named the Director, Player Medical Services for the US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York. Dr. Yorio is Team Physician for the Molloy College Athletic Department and for the New York Dragons, as well as a member of the medical staff for the New York Islanders. He is an active member of the United States Tennis Association, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine.
Deena Petrocelli, MD is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. She completed her Sports Medicine fellowship at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Petrocelli serves as the Associate Team Physician for Hofstra University and Molloy College. She also works directly with Dr. Yorio on behalf of the New York Islanders and Medical Services for the U.S. Open.