Simple Daily Activities Older Women Can Do to Improve Their Health Heart

• Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for women in the United States.
• Experts say exercise is one way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• In a new study, researchers say older women don’t necessarily have to do daily intense exercise to improve their heart health.
• They say daily activities such as gardening, housework, and stretching for 4 hours a day can reduce the risk of heart disease.

It’s well-known that exercise is good for cardiovascular health.

That’s particularly important information for women. They tend to have higher deaths Trusted Source from cardiovascular disease more often than men. Cardiovascular disease, in fact, is still the leading cause Trusted Source of death for women in the United States.

However, you don’t need to run a mile or head to the gym every day to reap the benefits.

For older women, being up and about for routine tasks — cleaning, gardening, and stretching — for at least 4 hours can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A new study Trusted Source published in the the Journal of the American Heart Association looked at how daily movement affects heart health in older women in the United States.

Scientists measured the physical activity of more than 5,400 women in the United States between the ages of 63 and 97 without heart disease at the start of the study.

Participants wore an accelerometer for up to 7 days to measure how much time they spent moving and listed the types of daily life behaviours that resulted in movement. Each minute was classified as:

• sitting
• sitting in a vehicle
• standing still
• daily life movement
• walking
• running

Researchers reported that performing routine activities, classified as daily life movement, for 4 hours per day can lower the risk of coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease by 43 percent and stroke by 30 percent, compared to women with 2 hours of daily life movement.

In addition, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was decreased by 62 percent.

Get Moving

“Sometimes things go against what you think or have been taught,” said Dr. Leonard Pianko, FACC, the founder and medical director of the Aventura Cardiovascular Center in Florida.

“Previously, exercise focus was generally on intensity, increasing your heart rate, and sweating,” Pianko told Healthline. “This study shows us the importance of just keeping active, moving, and making the commitment to daily movement.”

“The study results do not negate the benefits of daily structured exercise like running or swimming, but it does show that there are other opportunities that are more palatable (and less injury-prone) that provide the benefits of protecting women from heart disease,” he said.

So, what are some ways to obtain daily life movement?

“There are many benefits of exercise: weight loss, less stress, and improved mood. But, you do not have to join a gym or run around the block every day,” said Reda Elmardi, a registered dietitian and certified strength and conditioning specialist trainer.

“I suggest that older women get moving in the morning,” Elmardi told Healthline. “When you engage in physical activity in the morning, your muscles are primed to work harder and longer. You’ll feel better throughout the rest of the day because you gave yourself a healthy boost of energy.”

There are many ways to increase your movement during the day, including:

• cleaning
• gardening and outdoor tasks
• cooking
• showering
• standing or walking while talking on the phone
• parking further from work or shopping entrances
• stretching
• taking a walk
• taking the steps instead of the elevator or escalator

Keeping Track