The Importance of Cardiovascular Fitness for Heart Health

Everyone is accustomed to having their vital signs checked on a regular basis at the doctor's office.

Is there a heartbeat? Check. Examine the pulsation rate. Temperature? Check. But did you know that one of your vital signs can be just as important in determining the health of your heart? According to the American Heart Association, smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol may not have as much of an impact on your health as your level of cardiovascular fitness. A quick fitness test can reveal vital information about your cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular Fitness as a Vital Sign

Your cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), also known as your cardiovascular fitness, reveals a lot about your health and the potential for health outcomes. Simply put, CRF assesses how well your body absorbs and delivers oxygen to your muscles and organs during prolonged periods of exercise.

In general, the higher your CRF level, the less likely you are to develop a variety of conditions.

According to the AHA, low CRF levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and higher mortality rates.

Because of the growing link between CRF and overall health, the AHA recommended in 2016 that cardiorespiratory fitness be measured during routine clinical visits as part of a regular health assessment. The AHA discovered:

• Cardiovascular fitness is associated with the risk of heart failure and hospitalization for heart failure later in life.

• A low CRF is an excellent predictor of stroke risk.

• Prior to surgical interventions, optimizing CRF may improve outcomes such as surgical risk, mortality, and postoperative function.
  

Determine Your Own

If you want to know your cardiorespiratory fitness level but don't have your checkup for a few months, you might not have to.

The "12-minute run test" can be used to assess your own fitness. This method is used in a variety of settings, including military training, and has been relied on for decades to assess aerobic health. Consider the following four steps of the 12-minute run test:

1. Get your stopwatch or timer ready.

2. Warm up by walking, jogging, or stretching lightly before the test.

3. Run at a steady pace for 12 minutes, as fast as you can without tiring.

4. After the test, record the distance you traveled in miles using a decimal figure.

There are a few things you should think about before leaving.

• Take a break and notify your instructor if you feel tired or uneasy while taking the test.

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• You must be in good physical and mental health, and you must be free of vascular diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, and other conditions of a similar nature.

• You should have at least six weeks of training under your belt.

If you decide to take the test, compare your results by age. This simple test can help you determine your cardiorespiratory fitness level, with categories ranging from "very poor" to "fantastic."