Exercise is an essential part of heart treatment. Exercising regularly lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. It lowers cholesterol by allowing your body to metabolize it more effectively-that is, to burn it off. We often forget that the heart is a muscle and that it needs exercise just as other muscles do in order to remain efficient and strong.

Excess weight means more work for your heart-more wear and tear. Talk to anyone who works out at a gym or at homeabout how exercise lowers stress lev-els. Life is stressful, and it can be especially stressful for African Americans. Although we can’t always eliminate the causes of stress, we can do something about the effects. In chapters 5 and 10, we describe exercise routines that are easy, fun, and uiat relieve stress and bring about the other good things we’ve described.Maybe you’re going to tell us that you know lots of people who exercise regularly and still have heart attacks. Maybe you even remember the famous Flo To, who died of a heart problem despite being in ultimate shape. It’s true: Life isn’t always fair, and life isn’t always consistent. We know a lot about the heart, but mysteries remain.

What isn’t a mystery are the odds. For every ten people whc keep in shape and nevertheless die of heart disease, thousands die due to lack of exercise, and because they don’t control their cholesterol and blood pressure levels. You’re smart enough tc play the odds. Exceptional cases like that of Flo Io aside, if you have a strong heart as a result of exercise and conditioning, even if you have the misfortune to suffer a heart attack, your chances of surviving are greatly increased. Do you want to live longer and live better? Play the odds.

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