Dr. Aaron Goyal, Senior Consultant and Head of Cardiac Surgery at Ras Al Khaimah Hospital, has urged residents to regularly walk. He said that the sport may reduce the rate of heart attacks by 30%, saying that «walking is an important means of improving health, as well as its role in reducing the risk of death in the years after the heart attack».
In a statement to Emirates Today, Joyal said that the hospital has developed a guide called the four-kilometer base, aimed at presenting a plan to commit to walking.
Goyal explained that a 40-minute walk, four kilometers, four days a week, is enough to promote a healthy heart.
He said that walking is the ideal solution to avoid heart attacks, especially in light of the prevailing lifestyle in our society, as most people do not realize the benefits of walking. He pointed out that heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death, as nearly one third of the population of the UAE suffer from heart disease, while 32% of them suffer from high blood pressure.
Joyal called on patients who survived heart attacks to consult a cardiologist before starting the exercise, to develop a plan appropriate to their condition.
"According to a Swedish study, heart attack survivors who committed to exercise shortly after injury reduced the risk of death in the following years by as much as 71%," he said. Fitness gradually grows over time, and instead you can exercise in two batches and walk for 20 minutes at a time. "But it is essential that patients commit to fast and regular walking, especially on days when they feel tired, because walking provides the body with enough energy to continue the exercise."