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Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Exactly How Many Times a Week To Walk To Improve Your Heart Health, According to Cardiologists
Exactly How Many Times a Week To Walk To Improve Your Heart Health, According to Cardiologists originally appeared on Parade. One of the best ways to support your heart is free, easy and can be done anywhere: walking. There's no shortage of scientific studies showing the many ways that walking benefits health. Some of the highlights: Walking regularly has been found to lower blood pressure, assist with weight loss, support cognitive health and lower depression. Pretty impressive for something that only requires a pair of sneakers!Perhaps you already know that walking supports health, but you're wondering how often you should do it to truly reap the benefits. Here's what cardiologists say it's important to keep in mind in terms of how often to walk a week, how long your walks should be and how fast you should When it comes to walking for heart health, Virginia Heart cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Segal, MD, says that any amount of walking is better than none at all. 'At the very simplest, do what you can,' he shares, adding that the more you do, the better. In terms of how many times a week you should walk if you want to improve your heart health, UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologistDr. Ijeoma Eleazu,MD, says the gold standard of advice to follow comes from the American Heart Association, which recommends aiming for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. 'This breaks down to about 30 minutes a day, five days a week—enough to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke,' she explains. Related: With this in mind, people who want to improve their heart health should walk as much as possible, but at the very least walk for 30 minutes, five days a week. But even with this guideline in mind, it's important to do what you can. '[The general] recommendation should be adjusted depending on your overall health, previous fitness or activity level or any orthopedic or balance problems that may make you prone to falling, any lung disease or any other health issues,' says Dr. Louise Spadaro, MD, a cardiologist at St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center, adding that it's best to talk with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program. Related: While 30-minute walks are especially beneficial, Dr. Eleazu says that shorter walks support heart health too. 'The key is consistency and hitting the recommended total duration each week. Longer walks—up to or even longer than 30 minutes—are great and can make time for reflection that can clear the mind, but shorter walks (even as short as 5 to 10 minutes multiple times a day) help break up activity into shorter, manageable sessions,' she explains. In terms of how quickly you should walk, Dr. Eleazu says should notice an increase in your heart rate, explaning, 'Walking at a moderate pace—where you breathe heavier but can still hold a conversation—is linked to better cardiovascular outcomes. A brisker pace increases heart rate and circulation more effectively than a casual stroll." Related: If you want to take your walks to the next level and do even more to support your heart, all three cardiologists say there are a few ways to do it. Dr. Eleazu recommends doing speed walking intervals, alternating between bursts of quick walking followed by slower walking. This is a way to get your heart up, allow yourself time to recover and get your heart rate up once again. Dr. Spadaro says you can also increase the distance of your walk. For example, if you currently walk one mile a day, you can gradually increase the distance to 1.5 miles. She adds that another way to up your walking game is to hit the trails because the rougher terrain requires more effort. If there are no trails near you, opt for a hillier route. 🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊 According to Dr. Eleazu, another way you can make your walks more challenging is by wearing a weighted vest. This makes the body work harder, which will benefit the heart. 'I believe that any amount of activity has heart health benefits, so if you can't follow the recommendations exactly, try to find ways during the day to take some extra steps,' Dr. Spardo says. 'Use the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther from the entrance to stores or work, take a walk on your breaks and try not to sit in one place for too long.' The more active you are, the more your entire body will benefit—heart included. Up Next:Dr. Jonathan Segal, MD, cardiologist at Virginia Heart Dr. Ijeoma Eleazu, MD, cardiologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center Dr. Louise Spadaro, MD, cardiologist at St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center Exactly How Many Times a Week To Walk To Improve Your Heart Health, According to Cardiologists first appeared on Parade on Jun 8, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.


Geek Wire
14-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Zeno Power raises $50M for next-gen nuclear batteries
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . An artist's conception shows a lunar rover powered by a nuclear battery. (Zeno Power Illustration) Zeno Power, a startup that's headquartered in Seattle as well as Washington, D.C., today announced the completion of a $50 million funding round to boost the development of nuclear batteries for maritime and space applications. The Series B round was led by Hanaco Ventures, with participation from Seraphim, Balerion Space Ventures, JAWS, Vanderbilt University, RiverPark Ventures, Stage 1 Ventures, 7i Capital, Beyond Earth Ventures and others. The fresh funding follows a $20 million Series A round in 2022 and brings total investment to $70 million. Zeno got its start at Vanderbilt in 2018 with the goal of creating new types of radioisotope power systems. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators, or RTGs, have been around for decades — for example, for space missions ranging from the Apollo moonshots to the years-long treks of Mars rovers. Those power systems depended on plutonium-238, but Zeno is pioneering lightweight systems that use strontium-90 instead. Strontium-90 is produced as a byproduct in nuclear fission reactors and could serve as an abundant fuel for power-generating systems. In 2023, Zeno worked with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to demonstrate a strontium-based heat source. The company is also looking at americium-241 as a potential fuel source for nuclear batteries. Since its founding, Zeno has secured more than $60 million in contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA to provide radioisotope power systems for applications where traditional power sources fall short — for example, to provide long-lasting energy for seabed infrastructure, satellites and lunar landers. 'With great power competition rising, the ocean floor, Arctic and lunar surface are becoming the front lines of global security and economic progress – but they remain energy deserts,' Zeno co-founder and CEO Tyler Bernstein said in a news release. 'With this round of funding, we're on track to demonstrate full-scale systems in 2026 and deliver the first commercially built nuclear batteries to power frontier environments by 2027.' An artist's conception shows Zeno's radioisotope power system on the seafloor. (Zeno Power Illustration) Last month, Zeno announced an agreement with iSpace-U.S. for the joint development of technologies that enable lunar missions to survive the harsh lunar night. The companies are targeting a demonstration mission by as early as 2027. Zeno says it has more than 65 team members and aims to boost that number to more than 100 by the end of the year. Jonathan Segal, a co-founder who serves as Zeno's chief operating officer, told GeekWire in an email that about 45 of those team members are currently working full time in the Seattle area. He expects the Seattle-area contingent to rise to roughly 60 employees by year's end. Also today, Zeno announced that retired Navy Adm. John M. Richardson has joined the company's board of directors. Richardson served as the director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program from 2012 to 2015, and as chief of naval operations from 2015 until his retirement from the Navy in 2019. In addition to his role at Zeno, Richardson is a member of Boeing's board of directors. In today's news release, Richardson said he was 'proud to join Zeno Power at a strategic moment for nuclear innovation.' 'Zeno's nuclear batteries provide safe, reliable and long-lasting power from the seabed to space, where traditional energy sources can't reach,' he said. 'Competition is on in these newly contested domains, and Zeno will help power us forward to stay ahead.'