Exercise and Coronary Artery Disease

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Physical activity has a positive influence on mind and body health. ASEP Board Certified Exercise Physiologists are healthcare professionals responsible for developing individualized exercise prescriptions to help manage coronary risk factors (physical inactivity, hypertension, high serum cholesterol, cigarette smoking, obesity, family history, psychological stress, and diabetes mellitus) associated with the sedentary lifestyle and the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease. Regular exercise increases the delivery and utilization of oxygen that produces high-energy compounds, adenosine triphosphate, for efficient and sustainable muscle contraction and relaxation. Chronic adaptations to regular exercise consist of positive structural and functional changes to the lungs, heart, and skeletal muscles. The profession of exercise physiology is witnessing an unprecedented opportunity to prescribe exercise medicine to manage chronic diseases and disabilities. This is good because 45% of the U.S. population has a chronic medical condition.