Is cardiovascular exercise enough to counteract risk factors for CAD?
A judicious mix of all the three classes of exercise is required to tackle the risk factors for heart disease. Cardiovascular exercise takes precedence over the other types but without musculoskeletal conditioning and flexibility, overall health is not achieved. Mind and body techniques have a special role to play as well by controlling mental and neurological factors. But start an exercise programme only after you have been medically cleared by your physician. What about people already diagnosed with CAD? Should they exercise? People being treated for CAD should exercise under their physician’s guidance. Those who have undergone a cardiac procedure are also required to exercise. Often they begin in the hospital setting as the first phase of cardiac rehabilitation. If the procedure was prior to a heart attack, chances are they will regain better functioning of the heart. Persons who have suffered an attack may exercise depending on the extent of damage to the heart muscle. Certain flex
