In my previous posts, I talked about how being overweight and developing heart disease are related. Therefore, one of the heart disease treatments that work well is keeping yourself fit. How? By developing the right eating habits and exercising.
I recently had a reader post a question about exercise. She was mindfull that exercise was a good way to keep a healthy heart, but was concerned about becoming bulky.
It is interesting this question was posed, especially since I had recently read an article by Dr. Susan Lark regarding this very issue. De. Lark is one of the foremost authorities in the field’s of women’s health care, family practice, and complementary and alternative medicine.
Dr. Lark talked about how important it is for women, especially if they are menopausal, to do what they can to hold on to the muscle they have and gain back, if possible, the muscle lost. Her article was entitled “How to Build Postmenopausal Muscle Mass.” In it she gave 4 tips on how to do this. Following the principles are great heart disease prevention tips! Briefly, here they are:
1. Don’t go on a weight loss diet, even if you gained fat. Losing weight by drastically cutitng calories increases health risks because of the muscle loss. So inspite of your best intentions, it these diets make things worse.
2. DO go on a health-promoting diet. Replace processed and empty calorie foods, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup and junk food with fresh, organic whole foods that are jam packed with nutrition. They should include fruits and vegetables, oats, qunoa, buckwheat, milliet, and chia; omega 3 oils, and salmon, tuna, and mackerel. This shifts your carbohydrates dominated diet to a more balanced and wholesomeone with proteins, fiber, and healthy fats, all foods your heart will love.
3. DO stregnth training in addition to cardio training. Dr. Lark said many women tell her that they find weightlifting boring, uncomfortable, and might make them bulky; the same concern a reader had. In fact, nothing can be further from the truth per Dr. Lark. The key is to work the muscles until they are fatigued and then allow them a day or two to heal between meals.
Some simple exercises for women to do are squats, lunges, leg lifts, ab work, shoulder presses, bicep curls, triceps work, etc. A good rule of thumb is 3 sets of 15 reps. Other exercise alternative are group sculpting classes such as Body Pump, Acquatic Resistance Training, using a Whole Body Vibration Device, etc. There are lots of choices and much material out there.
As someone who who has been exercising for years, I like to look at routines in magainzes such as Fitness and Shape for fresh ideas. There are also many books available on the market and women can also schedule an appointment with a personal trainer to help get them going with a routine that will work for them.
4. Do get physically active. Your heart will love you for it, you’ll have more energy, relieve stress, and feel great!
The article was lengthy. If anyone would like to read it in its entirely, contact me and I will send you a copy of it. My email address is mentormonqiue@gmail.com
So yes ladies, exercise is one of the most effective heart disease treatment and prevention strategies you can use. Take the time to do this everyday and your heart will thank you for it!
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
mentormonique@gmail.com
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