Cardiologist explains how to exercise to prevent heart failure: Just 150 minutes every week

To maintain heart health, Dr. Obuobi recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. Monitoring heart rate is essential, and walking is a great option.

To build a healthy heart, in fact, to achieve overall fitness, experts and doctors often recommend working out every day. But what is the right amount of exercise to ensure that your heart stays healthy, and you can reduce the risk of heart-related diseases?

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. That's 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, and walking counts. (Adobe )

Moderate intensity exercise for heart failure prevention

In an Instagram post, Dr Shirlene Obuobi, a cardiologist with the Cardiovascular Institute, discussed the importance and specifics of exercise for cardiovascular health and heart failure prevention.

Dr Obuobi highlighted that an "active job", unless it is in construction, often does not meet the necessary exercise requirements for heart failure prevention. She also noted that the American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. That's 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, and walking counts.

What is 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise?

So, when you visit the doctor, and they tell you to exercise, here's what they actually mean, according to Dr Obuobi:

“Moderate intensity exercise is exercise that gets your heart rate to 50 to 70 percent of your maximum age-predicted heart rate. You need to sustain this heart rate for at least 30 minutes at a time.”

The cardiologist recommended that this can also be achieved with 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, which is 70 to 85 percent of your age-predicted heart rate.

But how do you determine your age-predicted heart rate? “First, you need something to measure your heart rate, any wearable where you can actually see your heart rate works,” Dr Obuobi explained.

Next, she suggested visiting the American Heart Association's website, which features a target heart rate chart. “Their chart sort of lumps together the heart rates for both moderate and vigorous intensity exercise, but it's still really useful,” she added.

As for the maximum heart rate, the cardiologist noted that if you feel relatively well (meaning no symptoms such as shortness of breath disproportionate to the exercise, chest pain, light-headedness, and dizziness), you shouldn't slow down your exercise just because you are reaching the maximum.

As for what exercise to do, Dr Obuobi recommends finding a workout that you will actually do. “A lot of times, a brisk walk will get you to the heart rate you need.”

Lastly, she added, “Your risk of all cardiovascular disease is mitigated by regular exercise. And while you can still develop cardiovascular disease even with regular exercise, your recovery and outcomes will be better.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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