{"id":983,"date":"2021-12-17T13:16:27","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T17:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.activeagingcanada.ca\/blog\/?p=983"},"modified":"2021-12-17T13:16:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T17:16:27","slug":"exercise-for-your-hearts-sake-its-never-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.activeagingcanada.ca\/blog\/active-living\/exercise-for-your-hearts-sake-its-never-too-late\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise for Your Heart\u2019s Sake: It\u2019s Never Too Late"},"content":{"rendered":"

By M.T. Sharratt, PhD <\/strong><\/p>\n

Heart disease is the number one killer of older men and women.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

That fact is unlikely to change in the near future because the population of older people is growing faster than any other age group. And among older people, heart disease is more common than any other disability except arthritis.<\/p>\n

People used to think that only men got heart disease, but in fact it\u2019s the number one cause of death among older women. The only difference is that women develop the disease about ten years later than men do.<\/p>\n

Can I reduce the risk of heart disease\u00a0 as I get older?<\/h2>\n

Yes!\u00a0 You can do many things right now and every day to avoid heart disease.\u00a0 Heart disease is a \u2018lifestyle disease\u2019. How we choose to live affects our heart health.<\/p>\n

If you choose to eat a lot of junk food, use tobacco, and spend the day sitting, your heart will be under great stress. Eventually, this unhealthy behavior will cause some part of your heart to break down.<\/p>\n

The habit of being physically active over many years can help protect against heart disease. Researchers have found that being physically active can:<\/p>\n