Hiking lowers cardiovascular risk

Walking the risk of cardiovascular disease

01/07/2013

Hiking not only gives you a nice opportunity to spend your free time in nature, but is also healthy. It can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Especially seniors can benefit from it health.

Lower heart rate and blood pressure
The Federal Association of Established Cardiologists (BNK) points out that walks are good for the heart and circulation. The performance of 50 to 150 watts over several hours while walking in nature trains the heart muscle, increases its stroke volume and keeps the blood vessels elastic. Pulse and blood pressure are thus lowered.

Especially for seniors
According to BNK, hiking is especially useful for the health of older people over the age of 60 years. Muscle reduces faster with lack of exercise with increasing age. That's why seniors get more out of breath and more quickly. Both are a strain on the heart.

Two easy walks a week
A study by the Institute for Performance Diagnostics and Health Promotion (ILUG) of the University of Halle-Wittenberg showed that even those who had barely been active would benefit from two easy hikes per week in their old age. The participants, who should be employed and physically inactive, walked distances between 3.8 and 5.6 kilometers. This had a positive effect on blood pressure, heart rate and body weight.

Strengthen the heart through cardio training
Even if heart disease is already present, walking can be a way to do cardiac training. When hiking, not only the muscles are trained, but this also has positive effects on the vessels and strengthens in addition to the immune system. Especially in the lowlands, it is possible to hike almost without risk. However, caution is advised when the route includes steeper mountains and at higher altitudes where the air gets thinner. Training condition and previous illness of the patient play a major role here. A steep mountain or the thinning air can eventually lead to an overload of the heart. In any case, during the whole hike, whether in the lowlands or in the mountains, a conversation without breathlessness should always be possible. (Ad)

Image: Julien Christ