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Heart Patient Diet Plan-3 Tips On Creating A Successful Heart Patient Diet

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

Fresh vegetables are important components of a...

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If you are one who is seeking to put together a heart patient diet plan quickly, there are 3 easy things you can do to create one.The following outlines what to look for when you are out shopping and as well as some heart healthy foods you can add to your meals to have a stronger heart.

Tips on Putting Together a Successful Heart Disease Diet
By Rob D. Hawkins

Let’s face it there is no shortage or food manufacturers and authors climbing aboard the heart disease diet bandwagon. If you were to visit your local supermarket, on a secret mission to examine food labels, what you would likely find is that one ingredient that belongs in your heart healthy diet has been added to a number of ingredients that shouldn’t even be on the same planet. Examples of this would be high saturated fat or high sugar products containing omega 3 fatty acids.

Another example of things to look out for would be slightly misleading labeling. I recently found on a grocery store heart disease diet fact finding mission that one popular brand of ground turkey proudly proclaimed that it had 43% less fat than beef. That cow they were comparing too must have won the obesity blue ribbon at last year’s livestock show because these supposedly heart disease diet food contained 27 percent saturated fat.

So our first rule of thumb for putting together a heart disease diet is to read the part of the label written in small print rather than the one that is shouting buy me! According to the American Heart Association a heart healthy diet should consist of no more than 10 percent of your calories coming from saturated fat with less than 25 percent of calories coming from fat overall. In order to accomplish these goals meat consuming will need to be held to about 4 ounces per meal, leaning towards skinless turkey and chicken with cold water fatty fish such as salmon and albacore tuna being consumed twice a week.

Why cold water fatty fish?

Heart disease is caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries caused by cholesterol laden plaque deposits. In order for plaque to form the lining of the artery must be damaged. One of the substances in nature that inhibits the ability of plaque deposits to form, and also is thought to repair the damaged arterial lining necessary for the plaque building process to occur are omega 3 fatty acids; specifically DHA and EPA. Salmon and albacore tuna along with sardines, anchovies, and mackerel are all very high in this substance and should be included in any heart disease diet plan.

Soluble fiber to the rescue

As we already mentioned cholesterol is the building block for obstructions called plaque which reduce arterial blood flow, and lead to heart disease. So let’s say you fall off the low cholesterol diet wagon and have a few chili cheese dogs and a big bowl of creamy ice cream for dessert. What might help us keep this cholesterol from ending up in our arteries and over time lead to a heart attack or stroke? The answer is soluble fiber! Soluble fiber foods such as apples, orange pulp, oat bran, beans, and whole grains bind with cholesterol in our intestines and send it out of the body in the form of solid waste long before it has a chance to find its way into our arteries.

Pass the garlic power please

Garlic has long been used to support numerous aspects of human health. Most popularly, garlic is used for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis.

In the case of age-related vascular changes, garlic is thought to protect vascular endothelial cells by reducing oxidative stress. The bottom line is that adding a little garlic to your food is generally a good idea, but maybe not on date night.

What about adding a natural cholesterol reduction supplement as part of my heart disease diet?

These products are not for everyone, but if you feel you need that little extra boost when your willpower fails you, and aren’t wanting to wade into a lifelong regime consisting of prescription medications for reducing cholesterol, these types of products just might be worth giving a try.

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at http://www.http://purchaseremedies.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_D._Hawkins

Follow the tips outlined about and you will be well on your way to having the right heart patient diet plan.

To Your Success,
Monique

A Heart-Healthy Diet for Cardiovascular Health (everydayhealth.com)
Advice on Heart Disease Prevention (everydayhealth.com)
Heart Patient Diet: Follow These 8 Tips for A Stronger Heart (moniquerhawkins.com)
Free Cholesterol Test, Blood Pressure Check and Diabetes Screening (keepyourhearthealthy.wordpress.com)
Heart Tests Might Not Work for Women (abcnews.go.com)

Tags: 3 Fatty Acids, Albac, Albacore Tuna, American Heart Association, Blue Ribbon, Diet Food, Diet Plan, Fact Finding Mission, Fatty Fish, First Rule Of Thumb, Food Labels, Food Manufacturers, Ground Turkey, Healthy Foods, Heart Healthy Diet, Heart Patient Diet, Heart Tips, Livestock Show, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Rule Of Thumb, Sugar Products
Posted in Heart Diet | No Comments »

Heart Disease Prevention Tip-Don’t Drink That!

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

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I was recently reading an article from the August 15, 2011 Bottom Line magazine. While the article covered a lot of different health related tips, it also included some great advice for those people who are looking to follow heart disease prevention tips. The title was “Don’t Drink That! Fruit Juices and Soft Drinks Can Lead to Arthritis, Bone Fractures, and Cancer.” by Dr. Nancy Appleton, Ph.D, a nutritional consultant in San Diego.

The article discussed how everybody knows soda isn’t good for you, but many of us may not realize just how bad they truly are. To make matters worse, fruit juice is almost as bad.

The American Heart Association has concluded that the safe upper limit of daily added sugar, which includes all of the sugar that isn’t naturally present in foods, is 6 teaspoons for women and 9 for men. Most soft drinks, like a 12 ounce can of Pepsi has about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Bottled teas, sports drinks contain almost the same amount. Fruit juice, including fresh apple, grape, and orange juice, contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 ounce bottle. Even though it is natural, it still will upset your body chemistry.

Diet sodas doesn’t fare much better. When it comes to heart disease, a presentation at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles looked at information from more than 2,500 participants. The researchers found that those who drank a diet soda daily were 61% more likely to suffer a cardio-vascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, that those who didn’t drink such beverages.

While the researchers were not sure of the reasons for this, there is enough information about sugar substitutes (such as aspartame and saccharin) to make them a good guess. The phosphoric acid ( which disrupts mineral balance) could be a likely candidate cause, too.

The bottom line is this: if you want to have a healthy heart and prevent heart disease, one of the ways to do so is to avoid sodas, diet sodas, fruit juices, and sports drinks. Instead, consume lemon water, coconut water, and use plant-based stevia as a non-caloric sweetner.

To Your Optimal Health,
Monique Hawkins

A Glass of Juice or Soda a Day Can Lead to Gout, Study Says (fitsugar.com)
10 Ways to Cut Back on Sugar (fitsugar.com)
Put Down That Can: Diet Soda May Increase Stroke Risk (fitsugar.com)
Sweet Substitute: Eat Fruit Instead of Drinking Fruit Juice (fitsugar.com)
Heart Patient Diet Plan-5 Things You Should Know (moniquerhawkins.com)
5 Healthy Foods That Are Actually Killing You (losethattyre.co.uk)

Tags: Added Sugar, American Heart Association, Body Chemistry, Bone Fractures, Bottom Line Magazine, Diet Soda, Diet Sodas, Fruit Juices, Healthy Heart, Heart Disease Prevention, International Stroke Conference, Mineral Balance, Nancy Appleton, Nutritional Consultant, Ounce Bottle, Prevention Tip, Prevention Tips, Saccharin, Soft Drinks, Sports Drinks, Sugar Substitutes
Posted in heart disease prevention tip | 1 Comment »

Cardiovascular Heart Disease-Cholesterol and Heart Disease News

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

A Danish study just released found a connection between cholesterol deposits on the eyelids, a condition called xanthelasmata, and the risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attack. With heart disease being the number one killer of American men and women, the more we know how to determine who is at risk, the better we will be at fighting this disease.

The researchers found that the presence of the eyelid cholesterol deposits may be a useful predictor of future heart problems. The study tracked almost 13,000 patients and found that those with xanthelasmata were 51% more likely to be at risk for a heart attack and 40% more likely to suffer from ischemic heart disease, a condition where blood flow to the heart is reduced, generally due to atherosclerosis narrowing the heart’s blood vessels. Cholesterol is a major culprit in the development of atherosclerosis.

They also found that blood levels of cholesterol were not directly related to the presence of xanthelasmata, making these a possible better indicator of future heart health than the traditional method of looking at blood cholesterol levels.

So, what does this study mean to a heart healthy diet? Current recommendations are to keep dietary cholesterol under 300mg per day for those with no heart health risk factors. The American Heart Association advises only 200mg per day or less for those who already have high LDL, bad cholesterol.

A vegetarian diet, composed of only plant foods, is a guaranteed way to eliminate cholesterol from your diet. It does take a level of commitment that many don’t have, so simply increasing the amount of plant foods and reducing the amount of animal products helps decrease dietary cholesterol. A few examples of cholesterol amounts in common foods may help. An apple has no cholesterol, neither does a banana or a tomato.

At the other extreme, one whole cheesecake contains over 2000mg of cholesterol! Three ounces of tuna canned in water has about 48mg, and a cup of roasted turkey with a mix of light and dark meet has about 105mg of cholesterol. A slice of pumpkin pie has just over 100mg. Finding a good chart listing nutritional values of commonly eaten foods can help you judge how much cholesterol you are consuming each day.

Although dietary cholesterol intake alone sometimes isn’t enough to lower blood levels of cholesterol, watching dietary intake of cholesterol is an essential part of caring for your heart and cardiovascular system. Each individual reacts differently to dietary changes, some with rapid lowering of blood levels of cholesterol, while others have a much smaller drop. Altering your diet to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendations can only help your heart, even if your cholesterol doesn’t drop as fast as you would like.

This Danish study seems to indicate that there is more going on than just what can be found by measuring the blood levels. Take your heart health seriously and decrease the amount of cholesterol in your diet!

To Your Heart’s Health

Monique Hawkins

540-858-2885

mentormonique@gmail.com

P.S. Everybody knows that one way to have a healthy heart is by keeping the arteries clear. I just found out how you can keep your arteries clear with Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, For more information, visit this online nutrition store at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Cholesterol on Eyelids Might Point to Heart Risk (nlm.nih.gov)
Good news for ‘good’ cholesterol (scientificamerican.com)
Joel Fuhrman, M.D.: Heart Health: How You Can Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (huffingtonpost.com)
Researchers find tie between fat outside of the arteries and cardiovascular disease (eurekalert.org)

Tags: American Heart Association, American Men, Bad Cholesterol, Blood Cholesterol Levels, Cardiovascular Heart Disease, Cholesterol And Heart Disease, Cholesterol Deposits, Cholesterol Diet, Common Foods, Danish Study, Dietary Cholesterol, Disease News, Health Risk Factors, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, Heart Health, Heart Healthy Diet, Heart Problems, High Cholesterol, Vegetarian Diet
Posted in heart disease and women | 1 Comment »

Heart Patient Diet-Two Must Have Essential Nutrients

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

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According to the American heart association, one good things for those with heart problems must do is have the right diet plan. You can almost call it a heart patient diet. You may have heard about diet like the grapefruit diet, cardio diet, cabbage soup diet, etc.

While these are great, as someone who has heart disease, there are also some essential nutrient your body must have. They are magnesium and calcium. Magnesium and calcium are both essential nutrients that protect the heart and nervous system. Neither of these essential minerals is gotten in abundance from the typical American diet full of fats and proteins and low on fiber, grains, and vegetables. Although the link between anxiety and heart disease is now well established, it wasn’t until fairly recently that it was recognized by mainstream medicine.
So how can cardiovascular health abe improved with calcium and magnesium? Both are essential to maintaining a well functioning central nervous system. Brain and nerves that are not well nourished can exaggerate depression and anxiety; both of these can in turn aggravate heart disease.
Both calcium and magnesium play a direct role in blood pressure regulation. Recent studies have shown that magnesium in particular may protect against stroke and coronary heart disease.

Adequate magnesium protects against abnormal heart rhythms and increases the amount of exercise that can be tolerated by those with heart disease. Studies have also shown that
magnesium can have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system by stopping blood from clotting. Anxiety and even migraines can be relieved if magnesium deficiencies are corrected.

Although both calcium and magnesium are essential for heart and nerve health, an over abundance of calcium can lower the amount of magnesium that is absorbed. Because nutritionists have long extolled the benefits of calcium, Americans generally get enough in their diets though dairy and
other sources. So, now is the time to concentrate on getting sufficient amounts of magnesium.

Whole foods are generally a better source than supplements because the magnesium in food is more readily absorbed than the calcium in supplements. To benefit the heart, magnesium rich foods help
both nerve function and heart health. Diabetics and drinkers of alcohol may be especially prone to magnesium deficiencies. Anxiety and tight muscles are often a sign of less than sufficient levels of magnesium.

Good sources of magnesium if you are a fast food lover include baked potatoes and refried beans. Those who want to increase magnesium should increase beans, whole wheat, and vegetables. The best sources are certain fish including halibut and tuna, seeds and nuts including pumpkin seeds and peanuts, and vegetables including spinach and broccoli. Black beans, navy beans and other beans are excellent sources. Next time you make soup, add beans. Try a dip with refried beans, cheese, and onions for a tasty dip.

Tomato paste is another great source. Hummus, made with magnesium rich chickpeas, with whole-wheat flatbread is guaranteed great source of magnesium for the heart and cardiovascular system.

Do your nerves and heart a favor and increase the magnesium in your diet.

To Your Heart’s Health

Monique Hawkins

540-858-2885

mentormonique@gmail.com

Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newsletter!

P.S. For more information about Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit this online nutrition store athttp://699456.shopvitamark.com

Magnesium Supplement (lifescript.com)
A Patient’s Guide to the Different Types of Magnesium Supplements (brighthub.com)
25 Foods That Fight Disease (lifescript.com)
Do You Have a Magnesium Deficiency? (lifescript.com)
List of Foods High in Magnesium (brighthub.com)
The Importance of the Calcium and Magnesium Balance (brighthub.com)
Healthy Diet for a Healthy Heart (justslimming.com)

Tags: Abnormal Heart Rhythms, American Heart Association, Blood Pressure Regulation, Brain And Nerves, Cabbage Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, Calcium Magnesium, Cardiovascular Health, Central Nervous System, Coronary Heart Disease, Diet Cabbage Soup, Diet Plan, Essential Minerals, Essential Nutrients, Fats And Proteins, Grapefruit Diet, Heart Patient Diet, Heart Problems, Magnesium Deficiencies, Mainstream Medicine, Typical American Diet
Posted in Heart Diet | 1 Comment »

Heart Disease and Women-These Drugs May Raise Heart Risks

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

If you are a regular user of anti-inflammatory over the counter medications for minor pain, then you may want to pay attention to this new study. The study by Danish researches just released in the medical journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, shows an increased risk for dying from heart-related problems in healthy people who use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has previously issued warnings to people with heart disease about the drugs which include Motrin and Advil containing ibuprofen, and Voltaren and Cataflam containing diclofenac.

The study looked at medical records of over one hundred residents of Denmark. The researchers found that there was a 29 percent higher risk of stroke among those who took ibuprofen-containing drugs when compared to others who did not take the drugs. Those using the diclofenac drugs suffered a 91 percent higher risk of death from all heart related diseases. No increased risk was found in users of drugs containing naproxen like Aleve.

Although it has been know for some time that these drugs are harmful to those who already have heart related diseases, this study shows that even otherwise healthy people are adversely affected by the drugs. Vioxx, which is a NSAID, was removed from the U. S, market in 2004 after a study indicated it increased the risk for heart attack and stroke.

The new finding from Denmark are consistent with a statement released by the American Heart Association in 2007. That year the association warned that NSAID usage was associated with an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

At greatest risk may be those who lead a physically active life. They tend to take more NSAIDs for minor joint and muscle pain due to physical workouts and activity. The best advice is to talk to your doctor about the latest findings and ask if there are safer alternative drugs to relieve the pain.

To Your Heart’s Health
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newsletter!

P.S. For more information about Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit this online nutrition store at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Common Pain Relievers Raise Heart Risk for Healthy Folks (nlm.nih.gov)
Some Popular Pain Pills Increase Risk of Heart Deaths (abcnews.go.com)
Pain relievers linked to higher risks of heart-related deaths among healthy people (physorg.com)

Tags: Active Life, Advil, Aleve, American Heart Association, Anti Inflammatory Drugs, Cataflam, Diclofenac, Food And Drug Administration, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, Heart Risks, Journal Circulation, Motrin, Muscle Pain, Naproxen, Nonsteroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs, Nsaid, Nsaids, S Market, Voltaren
Posted in heart disease and women | No Comments »

Women’s Heart Problems-What Is The Link Between Anxiety and Heart Disease?

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Several recent studies have found a link between anxiety and heart disease.
Although it is a fairly recent change in thinking in mainstream medicine
allowing that the mind affects the state of the body and its health, this
is something that the general population has accepted as fact for
centuries.

Findings in several studies have now shown a significant increase in heart disease in those who suffer from generalized anxiety. The frequent fear that something bad will occur and an ongoing state of chronic anxiety can actually cause physical changes in the body that lead to heart disease. Although researches do not understand the exact workings of this link, it is now clear to medical scientists that it exists.

Studies have been reported in The Journal of the American College of
Cardiology, Science Daily and the Journal of the American Heart
Association. All have confirmed that ongoing anxiety affects heart health
and can increase the risk of heart related problems including heart
attacks. The studies used psychological tests that pin point areas of anxiety
and show that there can be an increase in heart disease as high as forty
percent.

Most studies have been conducted on men. However, researchers reported in Circulation that the Journal of the American Heart Association studied the correlation between women with phobic anxieties and sudden cardiac death that results from a
lethal rhythm disturbance in the heart.

Whether it is phobias or generalized anxiety, doctors now recognize that
something should be done to alleviate the state of worry and lessen the
risk for heart trouble. There are many ways to calm anxiety without
medications. Yoga practitioners have long recognized the link between a
healthy mind and a healthy body. Breathing techniques are one of the most
effective ways to alleviate anxiety, working quickly when anxiety is at a
peak. Yoga classes can help focus the mind, calm the breathing and provide
physical wellbeing.

Look for future blogs that focus on the mind-body connection and how this can be a useful technique in healing the heart.

To Your Heart’s Health
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
Remember to sign up for my “You Deserve To Have A Healthy Heart” Newsletter!

P.S. For more information about Vita Che, the natural Roto Rooter for your arteries, visit this online nutrition store at http://699456.shopvitamark.com

Health and the Broken Heart (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
Stress and heart disease – the unwanted pair (beinghealthyhomeandaway.blogspot.com)
Overtime Boosts Heart Attack Risk (nlm.nih.gov)

Tags: American Heart Association, Breathing Techniques, Chronic Anxiety, Frequent Fear, Generalized Anxiety, Heart Attacks, Heart Disease, Heart Health, Heart Problems, Heart Trouble, Mainstream Medicine, Medical Scientists, Phobias, Physical Changes, Pin Point, Point Areas, Psychological Tests, Sudden Cardiac Death, Yoga Classes, Yoga Practitioners
Posted in women's heart problems | No Comments »

Heart Disease and Women-Heart Disease and Your Weight

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Many factors contribute to women having heart disease. Did you know that you should be very careful with your weight if you don’t want to develop this very serious disease? Here is why.

Heart Disease and Your Weight

By Jennifer R. Scott, About.com

Updated: December 08, 2008
http://weightloss.about.com/od/obesityhealth/a/heartdisease.htm

What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease is a number of abnormal conditions affecting the heart and the blood vessels in the heart. Types of heart disease include coronary artery disease, heart failure, and arrhythmia. The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease, a narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries, which is the major reason people have heart attacks.

How Prevalent is Heart Disease?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. In 2002, almost 700,000 people died of heart disease, just over half of which were women. These statistics mean that nearly 30% all U.S. deaths were due to heart disease.

Heart disease has been the deadliest health condition for women for 100 years. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease has been the leading killer of adult females since 1908.

How is Weight Connected to Heart Disease?
Overweight is considered a major risk factor for both coronary heart disease and heart attack. Being 20% overweight or more significantly increases your risk for developing heart disease, especially if you have a lot of abdominal fat. The American Heart Association has found that even if you have no other related health conditions, obesity itself increases risk of heart disease.

Being sedentary causes heart disease risk to increase, possibly even more so for women -– inactive females are more likely to become diabetic, have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol. All three of these conditions increase the chance of developing heart disease.

Apples vs. Pears
Your risk of developing heart disease may be heightened even more by the way your weight is distributed on your body. Being overweight and “apple-shaped” — meaning you carry most of your excess weight in your abdominal area — is considered riskier than being overweight and “pear-shaped.” Apple-shaped individuals also have many other increased health risks including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and stroke.

To find out if your waistline increases your risk of heart disease, you can measure yourself with a measuring tape. You may need a partner to help you measure accurately. The measurement should be taken at the narrowest part of your waist. A high-risk waistline is 35 inches or higher for women and 40 inches or higher for men.

What You Can Do
The good news is, reducing your weight by just 10% can begin to lower your risk of developing heart disease and other obesity-related health problems. Heart disease can often be connected to “known risk factors” with being overweight considered a “modifiable” risk factor (a risk you can do something to prevent). Age and race, on the other hand, are “nonmodifiable” risk factors.

In addition to managing your weight, you can reduce your chances of developing heart disease by controlling other related risk factors such as: controlling your blood pressure, lowering your cholesterol, quitting smoking and getting enough exercise.

A healthy diet is also an important part of lowering your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends a diet that contains no more than 30% of daily calories from fat. For example, if you eat a diet of 2,000 calories per day, no more than 600 calories should come from fat.

To assess your caloric intake and recommended calories from fat, visit My Fat Translator, a Web site from the American Heart Association.

To learn more about heart disease, visit The American Heart Association or About.com’s Heart Disease site.

Sources:

American Heart Association. Diseases & Conditions. 1 February 2008.

American Heart Association. Obesity & Overweight. 1 February 2008.

Centers for Disease Control. CDC Heart Disease. 7 February 2008.

Centers for Disease Control. CDC Deaths,Leading Causes for 2002. National Vital Statistics Reports 2005;53(17) as qtd. in DHDSP – Heart Disease – Facts and Statistics. 7 February 2008.

U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health/Medline Plus. Medline Plus: Heart Diseases 4 February 2008.

I hope you enjoyed the article! Also, remember to sign up for my “You Deserve to Have A Healthy Heart” newsletter.

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
SKype: Monique371
mentormonique@gmail.com

Tags: Abnormal Conditions, Adult Females, American Heart Association, Centers For Disease Control, Control Heart Disease, Coronary Arteries, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Health Condition, hearat disease and women, Heart Attacks, Heart Disease, Heart Disease Risk, Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, R Scott, Related Health, Risk Factor, Risk Of Heart Disease, Types Of Heart Disease
Posted in heart disease and women | 1 Comment »

Heart Disease and Women: 6 Tips to Reduce Your Risks

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Heart disease and womem who have it is concernful. However, on the other hand, it isss great to know there are thing we can do as women to reduce our risks. Today, we will talk about the rest of six things we can do to lower our risks.

These tips are taken from the site, “Go Red for Women”

http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Tip #1: Don’t Skimp on the Exercise!

Get Physically Active!
Couch potatoes, listen up! If you’re physically inactive you’re much more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.

Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity improves your cardiovascular fitness and helps reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Exercise can help control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. It can also help lower blood pressure. For most healthy people, the American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most or all days of the week to condition your heart and lungs.

You don’t have to be an athlete to lower your risk! Moderate activities such as walking, gardening, housework or dancing for at least 30 minutes on most days can help your heart. The time may be broken into shorter periods. If you’ve been inactive, you can start with 10 minutes of physical activity, then work up to more.

Tip #2: Watch the weight.

Obesity/Overweight
If you have too much body fat, especially if a lot of it is in your waist area, you’re at higher risk for health problems. These include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Women with excess body fat are at higher risk of heart disease, even if they don’t have other risk factors. Here’s some advice to keep in mind:

Try to reach a healthy weight, and stay there. To lose weight, most women should eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, but not less than 1,200. Losing one to two pounds or less per week is considered a healthy weight loss. (One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories.)
Many overweight and obese women have difficulty losing weight. Stay with your plan! Even modest weight loss (5 to 10% of body weight) can help lower your heart disease risk!
Treatment of obesity and extreme obesity focuses on substantial weight loss over a long time. Beware of fad diets, programs and products that promise rapid weight loss. Work with your healthcare professional, registered dietitian (R.D.), or nutritionist licensed or certified by the state (an L.D. or C.N.). Together you can set up a sensible program of eating and physical activity that will help you reach a healthier weight and stay there.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a recommended way to estimate a person’s body fat. BMI assesses your body weight relative to your height. Calculate your BMI risk level.
Check out our Physical Activity Chart. Based on your weight range, it tells you how many calories you can expect to burn off while doing many common physical activities.

Tip #3: Reduce Risk for Diabetes

Diabetes
Diabetes most often appears in middle age and among overweight people. But it’s becoming an increasing problem in children and adolescents. It affects many more women than men after age 60. Compared to women without diabetes, women with diabetes have from two to four times higher death rates from heart disease. (CDC – Women’s Health – Diabetes, 9/15/06)

While diabetes is treatable, having it still increases a person’s risk of heart disease and stroke. Many people with diabetes also have high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. This increases their risk even more.

If you have diabetes, it’s critical to have regular medical checkups. Work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your diabetes and reduce or eliminate any other risk factors. If you have a family history of diabetes, ask your healthcare provider for a fasting blood sugar test.

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