A little exercise can go a long way
 
Older men who perceive their workouts as challenging lower their risk of heart disease regardless of whether they exercise enough to meet current federal guidelines on physical activity, suggests new research.

"The most important finding of this study of older men is that there is an inverse relation between relative intensity of physical activity—an individual's perceived level of exertion—and risk of developing coronary heart disease," says Dr. I-Min Lee, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

While it's known that exercise can help ward off heart disease by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and other risk factors, the intensity of the activity required to fight heart disease, as well as other illnesses, is not clear, says Lee. The study results suggest that the intensity of exercise needed to reduce one's risk of heart disease may depend on an individual's fitness level.

The study involved 7,337 men with an average age of 66 years who were followed from 1988–1995. During that time, 551 developed heart disease. Compared with men who said at the beginning of the study their level of exertion during exercise was "weak" or less intense, those who reported their exercise as "moderate" were 14% less likely to develop heart disease. Greater perceived exertion lowered the risk even further, by 31% for those who reported "somewhat strong" exercise exertion and a similar 28% for those who reported "strong" or greater exertion. Lower risk of heart disease was even seen in some men who did not exercise as much as federal guidelines recommened.

SOURCE: Circulation 2003;107
RESOURCE: Rate of Perceived Exertion Chart
RESOURCE: Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity & Health