It doesn't seem like much. Is any of this helping my cardiovascular health and lowering overall stroke and heart attack risks? Yes, it is. It has also helped with overall fatigue and stamina.
Health care pros say that 500 to 1,000 "MET minutes" per week does contribute to cardiovascular health.
MET stands for "metabolic equivalent of task." It's essentially a measure of how hard you are working when doing any particular task or exercise for one minute. For instance, a minute of sleeping is worth 0 METs. Watching TV is 1 MET. Jogging is 8 METs. Riding my stationary bike at a good clip is about 3 METs. At 30 minutes per day x 6 days a week, that's about 540 MET minutes. If I add in my physical therapy/yoga, that's 3.5 METs x 15 minutes x 3 days for an additional 157 MET minutes. That brings me close to 700 METs per week.
Here's a handy calculator that helps you translate your MET minutes into calories burned. If, like me, you are carrying 20, extra pounds, this can be helpful with calorie counting.
Not interested in MET minutes? The Centers for Disease Control has more exercise info here. They caution not to count activities that aren't aerobic, and urge people to do muscle strengthening exercises. There are guidelines for older adults.
CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR before starting an exercise program, especially if you have had a clot. Also start slow. If you can only do one minute at a time, do one minute and build up. You can also do a few minutes several times a day and get as much benefit as doing all your exercising once a day.
Happy exercising, and be well!
Related: Thinking about stroke risks
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ET is a serious disease that requires specialist care. Discuss anything you read here with your doctor. No comments promoting "alternative" or "natural" cures (yes, this includes Rick Simpson's Oil) will be published.