Exercise And Strokes

I don’t really know for sure if exercise can help prevent strokes. I personally think it’s stretching it a bit to say that. There are so many factors that lead to having a stroke and that not one exercise can help prevent it. Things such as surgery on the legs for example, can form a blood clot and can make its way to the brain, any surgery really. It could also be a bad diet. Eating or drinking too much can contribute to unhealthy arteries.

This is what I do know, however, exercise helps your veins and arteries to remain as clear and functional as possible. Many studies have talked about how the running of our blood helps clean the plaque from our bodies.

Did you know, moderate amounts of physical activity at work were associated with a 36% reduction in risk of stroke compared with being inactive at work? High levels of leisure-time physical activity were associated with a stroke risk reduction of 20–25% when compared to being inactive during leisure time?

WebMD says, “A healthy diet, healthy body weight, regular exercise along with a moderate alcohol consumption and not smoking combined can reduce your risk of stroke by 80%. Here we show that regular physical activity is an important aspect of that and should be encouraged.” Jul 18, 2013.
What are some things we can do to help prevent or lower the risk of having a stroke?

Lower Your Blood Pressure.
Stay Away From Smoking.
Manage Your Heart.
Cut the Booze.
Control Your Diabetes.
Exercise.
Eat Better Foods.
Watch the Cholesterol.

All this seems obvious but it’s our choices in life that can ultimately make or break our health condition. We know we shouldn’t eat or do certain things but, what is one night, one bite or one drink, right?

As we enter the holiday season, I would like to challenge everyone to begin or continue working to reduce your chances of having a stroke. Begin with 10 minutes a day of exercise and periodically increase until you get to 30 minutes. Then keep going! I don’t believe anyone needs to do any more than 30 minutes a day unless you are an athlete training for a specific sport.

Good luck, let me know how it’s going!