CaCaCA

Overview
Heart disease and stroke are
Heart
Disease
some of the leading causes of
death in the United States. This is
most prominent in the African

and
American community being the
biggest target to these
cardiovascular diseases. An online

Stroke
article published about heart
disease in African American
women states that only 36% of
African American women know
that heart disease is their greatest
The role of regular exercise
health risk.1 The thing about
cardiovascular disease such as this
one is that they can be prevented.
One of the most beneficial
preventative method is exercise.
Risk
 High blood pressure, obesity and
diabetes are the most common
health conditions associated with
heart disease and stroke.
 Preventative methods such as
diet and exercise are the best
solutions to combat this threat.
Both of these are proven to lower
heart activity and improve its
efficiency
 African Americans are already
more susceptible than any other
race to have high blood pressure,
so steps need to be taken in this
population especially, to decrease
this risk.2
 According to the American Heart
Association, exercising 30
minutes a day 5 days a week will
improve heart health and reduce
your risk of heart disease().
 Regular exercise helps keep
arteries and other blood vessels
flexible, ensuring good blood flow
and normal blood pressure3
 As many as 250,000 deaths per
year in the U.S can be attributed
to a lack of exercise
Benefits of exercise
 Exercise helps control blood pressure
because it stimulates “nitric acid”
which keeps blood vessels open
 Walking alone will help raise HDL
“GOOD” cholesterol levels
 Most physically active subjects
generally had disease rates 50% lower
than those who are sedentary
 Very easy and cheap compared to the
medical expensive associated with
heart disease
Types/Duration of exercise
 Aerobic exercise: 30 mins/day for
5days/week4
o Examples include: walking,
running, swimming, cycling.
Anything that gets the heart
rate up
 Resistance Training: 2 non- References
consecutive days /wk
o Working out with free weights
(hand weights, dumbbells, or
barbells), on weight
machines, with resistance
bands or body resistance
exercises, such as push-ups,
squats and chin-ups
 Stretching, Flexibility and Balance:
Every day before and after exercises
o Does not necessarily
contribute to heart health,
but enables you to do other
exercise better
1)Heart Disease in African-American
Women.
https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/ab
out-heart-disease-in-women/facts/heart-
disease-in-african-american-women
African American Heart Disease and
Stroke Fact Sheet|Data &
Statistics|DHDSP. CDC Web Site.
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statist
ics/fact_sheets/fs_aa.htm
2)African Americans and Heart Disease,
Stroke.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-
topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-
cardiovascular-disease/african-
americans-and-heart-disease-stroke
Black Americans. http://www.your-
heart-health.com/content/close-the-
gap/en-US/heart-disease-facts/black-
americans.html
3)Can Exercise Prevent or Reverse Heart
Disease?
https://www.healthline.com/health/hear
t-disease/exercise#1
4)3 Kinds of Exercise That Boost Heart
Health.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healt
h/wellness-and-prevention/3-kinds-of-
exercise-that-boost-heart-health