HOW CAN I PROTECT MY HEART HEALTH?
Maintaining a balance is the key to keeping your ticker in good shape
According to the British Heart Foundation, heart and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK. That’s an average of 460 people each day – or one death every three minutes. The good news is that cycling is fantastic for your cardiovascular health. A long-term study conducted by the University of Glasgow found that cycling just 32km (20 miles) a week reduces your risk of heart disease by a massive 50 per cent. But even if you ride regularly, stale training habits or a sloppy diet can still leave you vulnerable to heart problems. So how can you make double-sure your ticker is kept in good working order?
“You want a training plan that has a mix of exercise intensities to promote heart health and overall health benefits,” explains Eddie Fletcher, a sports scientist for Wattbike (wattbike.com). “Improving and maintaining your heart health is about better utilisation of your aerobic system, so make sure 70-80 per cent of your training is low-to-moderate intensity and duration. This needs to be topped up with forays into the highintensity zones and adequate recovery.”
The milder workouts will boost the overall efficiency of your heart, while the harder sessions will enhance and expand its performance. Fletcher explains that Wattbikes can provide you with a handy cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) score to check your heart health, but for some basic insight you can also take the NHS’s Heart Age Test online, which considers factors like weight and blood pressure.
Maintaining a healthy weight and a sensible diet are particularly important. “I know it is a cliché, but you cannot out-train a bad diet or lifestyle,” warns Fletcher. The British Heart Foundation suggests you eat plenty of fruit and veg – getting 30g of fibre per day will lower your risk of heart disease – and also swap saturated fats for the mono and polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil, almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds. Another suggestion is to eat oily fish, such as salmon and sardines, twice a week as this has been shown to protect against heart disease.
“CYCLING JUST 20 MILES A WEEK REDUCES YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE BY A MASSIVE 50 PERCENT”