Experts encourage people to increase adoption of stair climbing for cardiovascular fitness as studies suggest
New Delhi, September 29, 2022: Toeing the theme of World Heart Day 2022 – ‘Cardiovascular Health for Everyone’, India is taking Heart2Heart Challenge for a healthy heart – a unique physical activity campaign to inculcate the healthy habit of checking whether one’s heart is healthy or not by climbing 4 floors (60 steps) because a study published in Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) [1] reveals so.
The study further reveals that by climbing stairs one can check one’s heart health as failing to climb 4 floors (60 steps) in one-and-a-half minutes is a sign of sub-optimal heart function.
By taking the Heart2Heart Challenge for Healthy Heart, one needs to climb 4 floors i.e., 40 feet in a minute, and if 726 people take this challenge, then the height of Mount Everest (29028.9 feet) in a minute can be climbed. And the height of Mount Everest has been already climbed as over 700 people have taken this challenge.
“Although advances in care have spurred improvements in cardiovascular outcomes, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally. Of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke. To curb the rising incidence of CVDs, preventive measures are quite effective. Of many preventive measures, physical activities play a pivotal role in staying heart-healthy. And, of many physical activities, stair-climbing whether vigorous or moderate provides significant cardiovascular and muscular benefits, which has been proven by a study done at McMaster University. [1] During the research, it was found that even in a short period, whether it was moderate intensity, continuous training or high-intensity stair climbing, there were beneficial adaptations in muscles after a cardiac procedure,” says Dr (Prof) S C Manchanda, Padma Shree Awardee, Senior Consultant Cardiologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.
By taking the Heart2Heart Challenge – Doing it yourself (DIY), Indian youth – who are succumbing to cardiac arrest, and middle-aged people will be able to take preventive measures to resist heart risks in future.
“The severity of heart diseases in India is at an all-time high and has been increasing gradually as India will have the notorious distinction of recording the highest number of cardiac deaths by 2030 in the world, with virtually every fourth death occurring due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). And if we talk about Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), 42% of Indians don’t know that they have hypertension. And 50% of CVDs-related deaths occur in people less than 50 years of age. While the younger Indians have a 10 times higher rate of a heart attack. For certain heart conditions, exercise can be as powerful as some medications. Of many forms of exercise, climbing stairs has been a scientifically proven exercise, which is a simple and free test of one’s heart health. The Heart2Heart campaign is a much-needed initiative required to be popularised in India to prevent future heart risks,” said, Dr Vinod Sharma, Vice Chief Executive Officer & Head of Cardiology Services, National Heart Institute, New Delhi.
JB Pharma’s initiative – Heart2Heart Healthy Heart Challenge is a unique campaign of its kind, which aims to revive some of the forgotten but essential habits to stay heart healthy.
First, people have forgotten stair climbing, which JB Pharma’s initiative – Heart2Heart Healthy Heart Challenge wishes to revive through this campaign to stay heart-healthy.
Second, people have stopped going for preventive health checks as 75% of the Indian population never goes for diagnostic tests, which is the reason why they miss the early signs of (CVDs). #heart2heartchallengeindia is do it yourself indicative assessment.
Third, in the campaign, the simplest methods of BP measurement (BP Right Karo) have been listed because hypertension is a ‘silent killer. But most people with hypertension are unaware of the problem because it may have no warning signs or symptoms. For this reason, blood pressure must be measured regularly