Keep your heart strong with exercise

MURFREESBORO — Although many people Tyrene Benjamin works with are cardiac rehabilitation patients, you don't have to wait until after a major health episode to get your heart healthy.

"Really think about making a health a priority," said Benjamin, an exercise physiologist at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital's Wellness Center. "You really need to get in 30 minutes per day."

If you've never exercised before, or it's been a long time, check with your doctor first to see if you might have any restrictions, Benjamin said. Then, if you get the green light, find something you like to do — swimming, walking, playing tennis, the rowing machine, the elliptical trainer.

"Start with goals," Benjamin said.

That may mean setting goals for weight or for just getting active, but finding something you like to do will keep you motivated to continue.

For her patients who haven't exercised in a long time, or ever, she starts with "something low impact," such as chair exercises so the body gets used to movement and increased heart rate. Slowly, she progresses their routines from there.

"Chair exercise is very basic, so that may be good for a person with joint issues, or hip or knee issues," Benjamin said.

Those with severe joint pain may find exercise even easier at H30 Aquatics in Murfreesboro, where everything is done underwater. The 94-degree heated pools are equipped with treadmills, elliptical machines and recumbent bikes that clients can use, said H30 owner Michael Burrows.

"The heat helps with arthritis. And it's good for people with spinal injuries or stroke because it loosens up the muscles and joints and allows range of motion to come back faster. When muscles are warmer, they can move easier," Burrows said. "The heat also helps with pain."

Along with less pain, the underwater exercise helps the body burn calories 40 percent faster than land-locked routines, Burrows said. And the water also allows those who have limited mobility to be able to enjoy benefits of exercise, he noted.

"I can get the best cardio exercise in the underwater treadmill due to no painful joint pain the next day. I feel great after a five-mile run in 60 minutes. Pretty good for almost 50," joked H30 client Dawn DuBois. "I could never do that on pavement."

For those just starting out who need cardiac rehab, H30 is an alternative, Burrows said. And because it is a medical-rated facility, many people can use it in conjunction with other cardiac rehabilitation services.

The Saint Thomas Wellness Center also has partnerships with a variety of local companies that offer discounted rates for those who join the facility, Benjamin said. Some of those include city and county government, York VA Medical Campus and State Farm.

But you don't necessarily have to go to a commercial facility to start exercising.

"There are YouTube videos, videos, you can do things in your house," Benjamin said, encouraging people to "do research" to find what they might like to do.

If you want to try before you buy, public libraries have a variety of exercise DVDs available to be checked out.

Benjamin also suggested trying little tricks to add extra movement into daily routines such as taking the stairs, parking far away from the door and walking around the block.

You can start small and even break up the 30 minutes into smaller segments: 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, 10 minutes after dinner. Whatever it takes to get your heart rate elevated and your body moving is a good place to start, Benjamin said.

If you can't get away from your desk during the day, at least take a short break each hour to stretch and move, Benjamin suggested.

Although Benjamin said the Wellness Center doesn't really focus on nutrition as much as a dietitian does, that is an important element to getting heart healthy. Quitting smoking is another element to help your heart, too.

"Smoking is a habit for some people that can be very hard to break, but quitting smoking is vital for heart health," Benjamin said, noting that the Wellness Center offers tools for those who want to quit.

Smoking, according to the American Heart Association, increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the body's tendency to clot. Smoking also decreases the "good" cholesterol. Smoking affects the lungs, too, causing the heart to work even harder.

"Whatever you're putting in your body to damage it, your heart has to deal with it," Benjamin said.

But it doesn't take that long to get your heart responding in a positive way to exercise, she noted. For the average person, three months of consistent exercise can make huge changes.

"But consistency is key to make sure the heart is getting the (benefit) of exercise," Benjamin said.

Contact reporter Nancy De Gennaro at 615-278-5148 and follow her on Twitter @DNJMama.

If you go

What: 2016 Rutherford Heart Ball

When: 6 p.m. to midnight Feb. 20

Where: Embassy Suites, Medical Center Parkway, Murfreesboro

Cost: $20for ball or $50 for late party only

Reservations: Call 615-663-1014, email lauren.harris@heart.org or visit rutherfordheartball.heart.org