According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, regularly walking or biking to work could prevent a heart attack. And if you have a physically active job, you’re in even better health.
Although, leisure-time physical activity is a very important component of a healthy lifestyle, so too is an active commute or an active job, said Dr. Gang Hu of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In a study investigating the effects of both work and leisure-time physical activity on the long-term risk of heart failure, Hu and colleagues studied 60,000 Finnish men and women who participated in a series of surveys conducted between 1972 and 2002.
Not surprisingly, leisure-time physical activity greatly reduces risk for both men and women, with the biggest benefit going to men who exercised vigorously at least three times a week. They were 47% less likely to suffer from heart failure than inactive men.
Dr. Luc Djousse, of the Women’s Hospital in Boston, finds these results consistent with the Physician Health Study, where he and colleagues also demonstrated a similar outcome. He suggested employers focus on the design of workplaces and put forward policies that encourage commuting, break-time exercises, and physical activity during leisure time.