Would you want to know your risk for heart disease?
A new study out of Cooper Institution in Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern has demonstrated that people's mile times earlier in their lives can predict their risk of heart disease later in life. The study examined 66,000 people.
The study grouped the people into 3 fitness levels at the end of the study: those of high fitness levels, those of moderate fitness levels, and those of low fitness levels. The groupings were as follows:
High fitness level: For men, a mile time of below 8:00; for women, below 9:00.
Moderate fitness level: For men, a time below 9:00; for women, below 10:30.
Low fitness level: For men, a time above 10:00; for women, above 12:00.
The researchers found that those in the high fitness level had only a 10% risk of heart disease later in life, while those in the low fitness level had a 30% risk. But what does this test really measure?
The reason mile times coordinate so well with heart disease risk is they are a great measure of general fitness, which is really what impacts heart disease. Someone who meets the requirements for a high fitness level is likely a generally active and fit person, whereas someone in the low fitness level may be mostly sedentary. And of course, many other factors come into play for heart disease risk, such as genetics or diet.
So do you know your mile time? Feel free to test yourself! (Although as always, check with a physician before beginning strenuous exercise. You could risk injury with this test.) If your mile time is not where you would like it to be, do not despair! You can lower your risk factor by improving your cardiovascular fitness; with a regular exercise routine, you can significantly lower your risk factor.
New to running? Try this out! Do run/walk intervals. Run for 1 minute, then walk for 1 minute for as long as you see fit (20 minutes would be a good starting point). You can increase or decrease the running to walking ratio to fit your needs. Over time, you will find yourself running more and walking less.
Remember-it is never too late to improve your health!
Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/on-your-marks-get-set-measure-heart-health/?_r=0
