Simple moves cut heart risk
A health round‑up highlighted seven exercises promoted by a British Heart Foundation clinician that can reduce cardiovascular risk by as much as 35% when done regularly (express.co.uk). Local reporting also quoted cardiologist Dr. Roy Flood warning that smoking and vaping remain immediate, high‑impact drivers of heart attacks and strokes and that quitting reduces risk quickly (wtoc.com).
Regular movement lowers heart and circulation disease risk by up to 35%, and doctors say smoking and vaping can push that risk back up fast. (bhf.org.uk) (wtoc.com) British Heart Foundation senior cardiac nurse Emily McGrath told the Express that seven accessible activities can help: walking, swimming, home strength workouts, cycling, dance classes, Tai Chi and yoga. The charity said regular exercise can cut cardiovascular disease risk by up to 35%. (express.co.uk) (bhf.org.uk) The British Heart Foundation said last week that 70% of more than 4,500 people it surveyed would be more motivated to keep exercising if they focused on fun. McGrath said enjoyment helps people stick with activity long enough for the heart benefits to add up. (bhf.org.uk) (express.co.uk) Exercise helps the heart in plain mechanical ways: it lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol, helps control weight and makes daily effort easier. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week and muscle-strengthening work on two days. (nhlbi.nih.gov) (cdc.gov) That advice sits next to a separate warning from Savannah cardiologist Dr. Roy Flood, who told WTOC on April 14 that smoking remains a major driver of heart attacks, strokes and circulation disease. He said vaping also affects the heart and blood vessels. (wtoc.com) The American Heart Association has reported that people who vape and people who smoke both show immediate increases in blood pressure, heart rate and blood-vessel constriction after use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says no tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, are safe. (heart.org) (cdc.gov) Doctors say the payoff from quitting starts quickly. The American Heart Association says heart rate and blood pressure begin to fall within 20 minutes, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heart attack risk begins to drop within two weeks to three months. (heart.org) (cdc.gov) The point of the seven-exercise list is not that one workout is magic. It is that walking, lifting at home, dancing or stretching only help if they become routine — and that routine works best when nicotine is not undoing the gains. (express.co.uk) (bhf.org.uk) (wtoc.com)
