A Healthy Heart Is Not Just About A Healthy Diet
Ramone Stevenson asked:
For anyone who has been diagnosed with heart disease or is simply concerned with ways to prevent it, you’ll be interested to know that a strict, heart healthy diet is not the only key to maintaining a healthy heart. In fact, the main component is actually an overall healthy lifestyle. Because even if you’re on the best diet in the universe, if you’re not active and especially if you smoke, the effort you’re making is basically futile. But the goods news is that 80 percent of heart disease can be prevented with a proper balance of good eating habits and exercise.
Here are some ways you can bring balance into your life and incorporate a combination of fitness with a healthy diet routine that will greatly reduce your risk for heart disease, as well improve the condition of your health if you have already been diagnosed.
Decrease the amount of your usual salt intake, particularly if you have high blood pressure
Cut back on cholesterol by choosing to eat low-fat or fat-free products in addition to more lean meats
Lessen your consumption of foods and drinks that have a high sugar content
Avoid foods that are high in saturated and trans fats whenever possible, e.g. snacks and salad dressings
Eat more fish, specifically the varieties that contain higher levels of Omego 3 like Wild Salmon and Lake Trout
Incorporate more high fiber and whole grain foods into your diet
Eat as much freshly prepared fruits and vegetables as you can
When dining out, choose healthy menu options
Limit any alcohol consumption
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 3 or more times a week
Don’t Smoke!
Think about what you’re currently eating and how much activity is present in your current lifestyle. Are you following a heart healthy diet? Are you exercising daily, weekly or at all? Base your decisions on the results of those answers and take smaller steps at first if that’s what you’re comfortable with. Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to help you get fit and maintain a healthy heart. Choosing the stairs over the elevator is a perfect example of one simple choice you can make. Parking further away from the office or the store is another. Whatever strategies you do end up choosing, they are all based on your own personal preference. But committing to a plan and working toward making significant, permanent changes is one of the most important steps you’ll ever take.
Now, if you’ve got to make some changes, whether small or substantial, no one’s expecting you to work wonders overnight. But you’ve got to make the effort, and you’ve got to do it on a consistent basis. A plan for a heart healthy diet and lifestyle is something that you will become accustomed to and will benefit greatly from during your long(er) lifetime.
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For anyone who has been diagnosed with heart disease or is simply concerned with ways to prevent it, you’ll be interested to know that a strict, heart healthy diet is not the only key to maintaining a healthy heart. In fact, the main component is actually an overall healthy lifestyle. Because even if you’re on the best diet in the universe, if you’re not active and especially if you smoke, the effort you’re making is basically futile. But the goods news is that 80 percent of heart disease can be prevented with a proper balance of good eating habits and exercise.
Here are some ways you can bring balance into your life and incorporate a combination of fitness with a healthy diet routine that will greatly reduce your risk for heart disease, as well improve the condition of your health if you have already been diagnosed.
Decrease the amount of your usual salt intake, particularly if you have high blood pressure
Cut back on cholesterol by choosing to eat low-fat or fat-free products in addition to more lean meats
Lessen your consumption of foods and drinks that have a high sugar content
Avoid foods that are high in saturated and trans fats whenever possible, e.g. snacks and salad dressings
Eat more fish, specifically the varieties that contain higher levels of Omego 3 like Wild Salmon and Lake Trout
Incorporate more high fiber and whole grain foods into your diet
Eat as much freshly prepared fruits and vegetables as you can
When dining out, choose healthy menu options
Limit any alcohol consumption
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 3 or more times a week
Don’t Smoke!
Think about what you’re currently eating and how much activity is present in your current lifestyle. Are you following a heart healthy diet? Are you exercising daily, weekly or at all? Base your decisions on the results of those answers and take smaller steps at first if that’s what you’re comfortable with. Walking is one of the best and easiest ways to help you get fit and maintain a healthy heart. Choosing the stairs over the elevator is a perfect example of one simple choice you can make. Parking further away from the office or the store is another. Whatever strategies you do end up choosing, they are all based on your own personal preference. But committing to a plan and working toward making significant, permanent changes is one of the most important steps you’ll ever take.
Now, if you’ve got to make some changes, whether small or substantial, no one’s expecting you to work wonders overnight. But you’ve got to make the effort, and you’ve got to do it on a consistent basis. A plan for a heart healthy diet and lifestyle is something that you will become accustomed to and will benefit greatly from during your long(er) lifetime.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Have a Healthy Heart
Rachel Lukasavige asked:
February has arrived and you may be gearing up for Valentine’s Day. You are buying cards, candy, and other gifts in order to get into that special someone’s heart. But there is another heart you should be thinking about this month and that is your own; especially if you are a woman. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and the American Heart Association has named February American Heart Month. Dedicate yourself to taking care of your own heart this year by following some simple advice.
Most women, when asked what their top health concern is, will name ****** cancer. ****** cancer accounts for one in 30 deaths in women but heart disease accounts for one in 2.6 deaths. It is important to take steps that will improve your heart and to spread the word about heart disease in order to help protect others. Many of the factors that increase your risk of heart disease are in your control.
There are three overall lifestyle changes you should focus on to become more heart healthy; tobacco use, diet, and physical activity. If you use tobacco, stop. Tobacco use raises your risk for heart disease significantly. As many as 30 percent of all coronary heart disease deaths in the U.S. each year are attributed to smoking. By quitting now, you can lower your risk significantly.
Lose weight or maintain your healthy weight by balancing your calorie intake and physical activity. Incorporate fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet and consume oily fish twice a week.
Limit your intake of saturated and trans fat by choosing lean meats, fat-free or low fat dairy products, and avoiding products made with partially hydrogenated oil. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. This will help lower your blood pressure which, if high, contributes to heart disease.
Last, but certainly not least, get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly and know what your numbers mean. You will want to aim for a total cholesterol of less than 200/mg/dL and a blood pressure reading of less than 120/80mmHg.
To learn more about these guidelines and screening numbers, visit the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women page at www.goredforwomen.org/index.aspx. Make this the year you take care of your own heart.
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February has arrived and you may be gearing up for Valentine’s Day. You are buying cards, candy, and other gifts in order to get into that special someone’s heart. But there is another heart you should be thinking about this month and that is your own; especially if you are a woman. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and the American Heart Association has named February American Heart Month. Dedicate yourself to taking care of your own heart this year by following some simple advice.
Most women, when asked what their top health concern is, will name ****** cancer. ****** cancer accounts for one in 30 deaths in women but heart disease accounts for one in 2.6 deaths. It is important to take steps that will improve your heart and to spread the word about heart disease in order to help protect others. Many of the factors that increase your risk of heart disease are in your control.
There are three overall lifestyle changes you should focus on to become more heart healthy; tobacco use, diet, and physical activity. If you use tobacco, stop. Tobacco use raises your risk for heart disease significantly. As many as 30 percent of all coronary heart disease deaths in the U.S. each year are attributed to smoking. By quitting now, you can lower your risk significantly.
Lose weight or maintain your healthy weight by balancing your calorie intake and physical activity. Incorporate fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet and consume oily fish twice a week.
Limit your intake of saturated and trans fat by choosing lean meats, fat-free or low fat dairy products, and avoiding products made with partially hydrogenated oil. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. This will help lower your blood pressure which, if high, contributes to heart disease.
Last, but certainly not least, get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly and know what your numbers mean. You will want to aim for a total cholesterol of less than 200/mg/dL and a blood pressure reading of less than 120/80mmHg.
To learn more about these guidelines and screening numbers, visit the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women page at www.goredforwomen.org/index.aspx. Make this the year you take care of your own heart.
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