Stroke is also called a brain attack or a cerebral vascular accident (CVA)
Burning Calories also Cuts Your Stroke Risk Burning 1,000 calories a week -- such as walking briskly for 30 minutes, five days a week -- can lower your stroke risk by 24%. According to a study of more than 11,000 men (Stroke, Oct 1998), if you exercise to the tune of 2,000 calories a week, you'll cut your stroke risk by nearly half. “Your activities need to be at least moderate in intensity," says study author I-Min Lee, MD, ScD, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "Brisk walking, gardening, dancing, or bicycling are good examples. Light activities such as bowling and general housekeeping did not have the same effect."
According to a study of nearly 16,000 men and women (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Dallas, Nov 1998), exercise at work decreases stroke risk. Those who were most active-walking, standing, or lifting heavy loads the most-had half the risk of stroke. Exercise may protect against stroke by modifying risk factors such as high blood pressure, body weight, and blood clotting ability: But exercise also improves your brains circulation due to less plaque being laid down in the vital arteries.
A Stroke Prevention Plan Walking about an hour, five days a week, burns 2,000 calories. But each walk burns 400 calories, so substitute one of these at least once a week to add variety. Replace 60 minutes of walking with. Cross-country ski machine -- 30 minutes Running, 6 mph -- 30 minutes Tennis -- 50 minutes Step aerobics -- 50 minutes Bicycling, 10-12 mph -- 60 minutes Stairclimber -- 60 Swimming -- 60 Gardening -- 70 * based on a 150-pound person
The higher your cholesterol, the higher is your risk of a stroke. The higher your blood pressure is, the higher your risk of stroke. Use regular exercise and healthy eating to lower both.
Stroke is also called a cerebral vascular accident or CVA, but if you can reduce your CVA risk by half simply by exercise, a CVA is not an accident, it's the result of neglecting to exercise.
Other cerebral vascular accident risk factors include diabetes mellitus, hypertension and elevated cholesterol, all of which will decrease with regular exercise.
You'll need other actions to clear your atrial fibrillation, smoking, excessive alcohol use, or a diet high in fat and sodium.
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially if on one side of the body Sudden confusion trouble speaking or understanding sudden trouble seeing or walking dizziness or loss of balance and coordination sudden severe headache with no known cause
A study of over 100,000 men and women has found that consuming just five to six servings of vegetables per day can reduce your stroke risk by 31 percent. (The Journal of the American Medical Association, October 6th, 1999.) The most benefit: came from cruciferous veggies like cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower, green leafy vegetables, plus citrus fruits and citrus juice. Each additional serving of fruit and vegetable up to the sixth daily veg was associated with a 6 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke.
An aspirin a day can also reduce your stroke risk, provided you don't have high blood pressure. The more risk factors you reduce or eliminate, the lower is your risk of a stroke.
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