• Quit Smoking
• Get Sensible Exercise
• Get Tested for Diabetes
• Control High Blood Pressure
• Form a Partnership for Health
• Keep Alcohol Use Moderate
• Strive for Balance
• Maintain a Health Body Weight

• What is Blood Pressure? What Happens When It's High?
• How is Blood Pressure Checked and What Do the Numbers Mean?
• What Causes High Blood Pressure?
• Preventing High Blood Pressure
• If You Have High Blood Pressure

• Activities and Calories Used in Exercise
• Sample Walking Program
• Test Your Physical Activity and Heart Disease IQ
• Successful Exercise at a Glance

• Low-fat Cooking
• Eating Right in Every Location
• Diet tips at a Glance
• Calculate Your Body Mass Index
• Using the Food Label
• What is Cholesterol and Why Does it Matter?
• What Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean
• What Affects Blood Cholesterol Levels
• What Can You Do to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol
• Eating Right and Staying Active
• A Daily Food Guide
• Shopping the Heart-Healthy Way

Getting more exercise each day is a prescription most people could use. A recent report released by the U.S. Surgeon General termed America's lack of exercise a crisis of "epidemic proportions" with major segments of the population reporting they get "little to no physical activity" on a daily basis. Many children and adolescents reportedly get less exercise than their parents did when they were children.

This sedentary lifestyle can lead to or contribute to many serious health problems, including heart disease. However, the good news is that by incorporating 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on a daily basis, you can significantly improve your health.

Follow the links below to get a better understanding of how you can incorporate moderate physical activity into your daily routine and how that change will benefit your life.

Benefits of Exercise

The benefits of incorporating physical activity into your life are many, including:

• Improved circulation and efficiency of the heart, lungs and blood vessels.

• Increased ratio of “good” cholesterol (HDL) to “bad” cholesterol (LDL).

• Reduced stress and tension, anxiety and depression.

• Increased energy and feelings of self-esteem.

• Improved sleep.

• Increased calorie expenditure and control of appetite.
  

• Increased rate of weight loss. (A person weighing 200 lbs. who makes no changes in the number of calories eaten each day but who adds a daily brisk walk of 1.5 miles, will lose about 14 lbs. in one year.)

Types of Exercise

There are many different types of exercises and exercise programs in which you can participate. The best exercise for your heart is some type of aerobic exercise that increases blood flow to the muscles and heart and increases breathing rate and depth.

Most authorities suggest that you begin with moderate exertion, about 30 minutes daily, to help achieve a goal of improved fitness and reduced heart risk. Sometimes the only difference between moderate activity and increased exertion is an increase in the intensity with which the activity is performed, an increase in the number of times each week that the exercise is done, or an increase in the amount of time that is spent exercising each week.

If you have not been physically active, it is important that you start slowly with less strenuous exercises and work your way to a more difficult exe