Woman, heart and exercise

| The heart of women and men have differences both physically and physiologically. The female heart is smaller, which limits the volume of blood it is able to expel with each cycle and also the heartbeat rate is lower.

Circulating hemoglobin is up to 15% lower, so the oxygen circulating in the blood is too. This is an important factor to take into account when we think about the concentration of oxygen that reaches the tissues.

These factors, added to the presence or not of female hormones (estrogens and progesterone) are important when we talk about the response to a physical demand, sports. But this does not affect the benefits that it generates for the body.

Protection factor for the heart

For both sexes, the practice of physical activity is a cardiovascular protective factor. Experts never tire of repeating that “moving”, a minimum of 30-45 minutes a day, gives us some protection against possible complications and reduces risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of atherosclerosis or. This is directly associated with the appearance of obesity and an increase in cholesterol, clearly negative factors.

According to the latest studies, a sedentary lifestyle causes twice as many deaths in Europe as obesity and is the fourth leading cause of death behind hypertension, tobacco and diabetes.

In the case of women, the presence of hormones, specifically estrogens, is a protective factor. During the childbearing age these hormones act in such a way that the risk of suffering a, for example, is lower if we compare it with the male risk. But at the moment in which menopause is entered, the figures are equal and even the mortality is higher in them than in them, in fact cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among the female population in Spain. It is therefore clear that exercise is essential to fight against all those factors that are going to have a negative impact.

In the childhood…

The figures for cardiovascular diseases focus on adults, but we must not forget about children. It is a pathology that is growing and reaching alarming numbers among developed societies.

Professionals warn that the lack of healthy habits, including excess intake and sedentary lifestyle increase the risks of the little ones. Childhood hypertension is one of these risks and according to more recent studies, girls suffer from it more than boys. Including exercise in your routine will not only help the girl feel better, but also reduce possible heart problems that could appear in the long run. Walking, pedaling, running, dancing ... any aerobic exercise is preventive therapy and helps keep our hearts healthy and ready to fight against risk factors.

• The response to a physical demand such as sports practice is different for women, but the benefits it brings to the body are the same as for men.
• A sedentary lifestyle, in any case, increases the risk of atherosclerosis and hypertension.
• In women, the presence of hormones (specifically estrogens) is a cardiovascular protective factor.