To add even more activity, try taking up gardening or going for short walks. If you walk each day, increase the distance. Once you've overhauled your everyday life, focus on getting more aerobic exercise, which fights heart disease like no other type. Because aerobic exercise stresses your heart, get clearance from a doctor before you start your program if you are very inactive, quite overweight, or middle-aged or elderly. Medical clearance is also important if you have several other risk factors for heart disease, like smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease.
Some people worry about having a heart attack while exercising.
Your risk is a bit higher during a workout than while resting. But inactive people are at a greater overall risk of heart problems than are regular exercises. In addition, you can minimize the risk by listening to your body and stopping when you feel pain or pressure anywhere from the neck to the navel, dizziness, an abnormal heart rhythm, or nausea. Before beginning any aerobic activity, you need to warm up. Prepare your muscles and raise your heart rate gradually by doing calisthenics and stretching for 5 to 15 minutes followed by several minutes of light aerobic activity like walking.