Your human Heart

Ladies you need to take care of your heart. And I’m not just talking about your emotional well-being (though very important to nurture). More women will die from cardiovascular disease than from any other affliction including breast cancer. Eighty percent of heart attacks in women are attributable to unhealthy habits. Chowing down on fat laden foods, weighing yourself down with extra L-B’s, lighting up and kickin it on the couch.Since 1984 it has been the number one cause of death for women age 35 and older. Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women. Three million women die from stroke each year. Stroke accounts for more deaths among women than men (11% vs 8.4%) with additional risk for CHD unique to women related to oral contraceptive use in combination with smoking. For more info on women and heart disease visit http://www.womensheart.org/content/HeartDisease/heart_disease_facts.asp

Want to get a handle on your heart health? Stretch. That’s right. In a 2009 study researchers found that your ability to touch your toes is an indication of your cardiac artery health. Sit on the floor and extend your legs straight out. If you are limber enough to touch your toes then your cardiac arteries are probably flexible too. Supple arteries allow blood to move freely says researcher, Kenta Yamamoto, PHd at the University of North Texas health science center in Ft. Worth.

Not quite able to reach your twinkle toes? I know you know what’s coming next…then you gotta get your aerobic game on.  Endurance exercises such as walking, cycling, or swimming for at least 30 minutes a day will do the trick. Best of all, exercise doesn’t need to be extremely vigorous to be beneficial to your health.

Aerobics improves cardiovascular health because it helps you get a handle on high blood pressure and cholesterol. Walking, cycling and swimming puts positive stress on your muscles, bones, joints, heart, lungs and blood vessels that deliver the necessary oxygen for energy. The more you get your heart pumping the better the flow the better you feel. It is a happy self fulfilling prophecy.

Just think, a brisk walk around the block can help you people with high blood pressure to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Blood sugar regulation improves, thus decreasing risk for Type II Diabetes or improving blood sugar control for people already diagnosed with diabetes. Exercise helps raise healthy HDL cholesterol, and helps lower blood triglycerides.

Guess what, a healthy by-product of getting your ticker jamming is the calories you’ll burn. For example, an hour of brisk walking burns about 350 calories. Once your metabolic rate increases, you will continue to burn calories even after you’ve finished exercising. Regular exercise helps reduce the amount of fat stored inside the abdomen area. Excess fat is this location increases the risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Other side bene’s of a regular fitness routine is an improved outlook for arthritis, osteoporosis, insomnia, and diabetes can literally be eradicated. Exercise also helps prevent and treat depression, improve memory and problem-solving ability. It’s a great stress reliever and improves quality of life.

Convinced yet???

After your doc gives you the thumbs up, the best way to get started is to start slow. A 10-minute a day workout walking, swimming or cycling is best. If you got a few extra pounds and don’t want to stress your lower body too much the bike or swimming is best. After you get into a routine and shed a few pounds, a month to six weeks you can incorporate walking into your exercise regimen. Add two minutes to your daily routine every week until you max out at 60.

Mild to moderate exercise intensity is best. This can be determined by finding your target heart rate zone. Calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Your target heart rate is 60-75% of your maximum heart rate. In order to determine your heart rate, you must take your pulse. Taking your pulse: Using your middle and index fingers, locate your pulse on the thumb side of your wrist. Press lightly. Count your pulse for 10 seconds starting with zero. Multiply by 6. Too much work? Then take the talk test. If you can carry on a conversation without losing your breath you are in the zone. Keep it up! Be sure to do a solid three to five minute warm up and cool down within your 60 minute workout.

Once you get into the swing of exercising start to incorporate 2 to 3 days of strength training for a minimum of 20 minutes. Strength training helps women manage osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and preserve muscle tissue. The beauty of this is the more muscle tissue you build the more metabolically active your body will become. Hello! You will burn more calories and lose weight. Who doesn’t love that!