Can it be bad for my health if I only exercises a little but doesn’t hit the threshold for “athletes’ heart”?
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When a muscle is under strain it typically grows bigger to adapt and do a better job; like lifting weights leads to bigger biceps.
In someone with high blood pressure their blood vessels are tightened down and the heart has to work hard to pump blood. In this situation when the heart gets stronger it also gets thicker, like your bicep, but this thickness means the chambers of the heart gets smaller. The smaller chamber do not hold and pump blood well. This means the heart has to beat more often, which increases strain on the heart and reduces blood flow to the body.
During exercise, there is increased return of blood to the heart. This extra filling of blood helps the heart to stretch. The athletic heart is strong, but it also has big chambers which means it moves more blood with every beat. This is why athletes tend to have lower heart rates than those who do not exercise.
This is not related to exercise duration and there is no threshold to cross where you change from one adaptation to the other.
However, regular aerobic exercise can help reverse the negative effects of high blood pressure. For this it is recommended to get 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week. Keep in mind that leisurely walking the mall or your dog does not count as exercise, just as tiring work does not either. The exercise should be steady for at least 30 minutes at a time, and elevate your heart rate and breathing.
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