The "move more" message is everywhere, repeated until it's almost background noise. And yet, from a cardiologist's point of view, it's probably the single best-documented health advice that exists for the heart — far more than any supplement, diet trend, or connected gadget.
Here's what cardiology actually recommends, without the guilt-tripping.
Why physical activity protects the heart
Regular exercise acts on the heart and blood vessels through several complementary mechanisms: it lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol profile (particularly by raising "good" HDL cholesterol), improves insulin sensitivity and reduces diabetes risk, helps control weight, and directly strengthens the heart muscle, making it more efficient with each beat. It also acts, less often mentioned but just as well documented, on stress and sleep quality — two factors themselves linked to cardiovascular health.
How much, and at what intensity
150 minutes per week of moderate activity — brisk walking, easy cycling, relaxed swimming — or 75 minutes of intense activity — running, team sports, vigorous cycling — represent the generally recommended target, ideally spread across several days of the week rather than concentrated into a single session.
A simple way to gauge moderate intensity: you can talk during the effort, but not sing. For vigorous intensity: you can no longer hold a normal conversation.
This threshold isn't all or nothing. For a sedentary person, going from zero to 30 minutes a week already brings a measurable cardiovascular benefit — most of the gain actually lies in the transition from complete inactivity to even moderate activity. You never need to hit the "ideal" number right away.
Where to start if you've never been athletic
You never need to wait until you're "ready" to start. The idea that you should first lose weight, get back in shape, or wait for a calmer moment in your schedule is one of the biggest obstacles to getting started — and it rests on a misunderstanding: it's the activity itself that gradually improves fitness, not a prerequisite to meet before starting.
Walking remains, for the vast majority of sedentary people, the most accessible starting point. It requires no equipment, no particular adaptation, and can be worked into daily life gradually: getting off the bus one stop earlier, taking the stairs, walking during a phone call. These small adjustments, added up, genuinely count toward the 150 weekly minutes.
Activity doesn't need to "hurt" to count. This is a stubborn but counterproductive misconception: moderate activity, practiced regularly and enjoyably, is more beneficial in the long run than intense activity done twice before being abandoned out of lack of motivation or injury. Consistency matters more than intensity, especially at the start.
Progress in steps rather than all at once. Going from zero to 150 minutes a week overnight increases the risk of discouragement and musculoskeletal injury, with no additional cardiovascular benefit compared to progress spread over several weeks. Adding 10 to 15 minutes a week to your previous routine is a reasonable progression for most people resuming activity after a long break.
Do you need medical clearance before starting
For a moderate return — walking, easy cycling — for someone with no particular risk factor, prior medical clearance is generally not needed.
A cardiologist's opinion becomes useful before intense activity, particularly after age 35-40, when returning after a long sedentary period, in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, family history), or with an already known personal cardiac history. This check-up, often including an ECG and sometimes a stress test, specifically looks for abnormalities that might stay silent at rest and only show up under intense exertion.
Sport and heart disease: not incompatible
A stubborn misconception holds that a cardiac problem means stopping all physical activity. Most of the time, the opposite is true. Adapted physical activity is an integral part of treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and, after certain cardiac events, of cardiac rehabilitation — a structured program, supervised by professionals, combining monitored exercise and education, whose effectiveness at reducing the risk of recurrence is well established.
So the question is almost never "sport or not," but "what type, at what intensity, in what setting" — a question answered together with your cardiologist, not alone.
What the research says
According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is among the leading risk factors for mortality worldwide, and regular physical activity significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. The WHO also highlights that a large share of the global population doesn't reach recommended activity levels — making physical activity one of the most underused public health levers, even though it's accessible and largely free.
In practice, in Israel
Before resuming intense sport, particularly after age 35-40 or in the presence of risk factors, a cardiac check-up — ECG, and depending on the case a stress test — can be arranged through your health fund's covered pathway or in the private sector. After a cardiac event, a structured cardiac rehabilitation program is generally offered as part of hospital or cardiology follow-up.
Resuming physical activity, with or without a cardiac history: a cardiologist's opinion lets you set an intensity suited to your profile, safely. Find a cardiologist near you on OlamKal and book an appointment.
To wrap up
Physical activity remains one of the rare health tools that protects the heart, lifts mood, helps you sleep, and helps control weight, all at once — and whose recommended "dose" (150 minutes a week) remains, for most people, an achievable goal. The hardest part isn't finding the perfect exercise: it's starting, at a pace suited to your own starting point.
