Wednesday, February 13, 2013

February is.....


American Heart Month

Heart disease is a major problem and is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
The term heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions.  The most common type in the U.S is coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease.  CHD can cause heart attacks, angina, heart failure and arrhythmia's.

On the brighter side, heart disease is preventable and controllable.  You can help prevent HD by making healthy choices.

Eat a healthy diet
Be sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.  Not just this month but always!
Eating foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high cholesterol.  Also, strive to limit salt or sodium in your diet - this can lower your blood pressure.

A few healthy foods to include in meals are oatmeal, salmon, broccoli, olive oil, avocado and tomato.

Maintain a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight should be no issue if you're eating a healthy diet.  Being overweight or obese does not only increase your risk for heart disease but also puts you at higher risk of developing other diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, stroke and cancer.  Other conditions are possible as well, such as increased cholesterol, gallstones and sleep loss.

Exercise regularly

The health benefits of physical activity are hard to ignore.  To no surprise, exercise combats health conditions and diseases.

You don't need to set aside hours to reap the rewards (aim for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week).  If you can't do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from the office or store so you're getting more walking in, or dance while you're doing household chores.

Bonus: Exercise also boosts energy, improves your mood and promotes better sleep.

In addition, these two should be avoided/limited as much as possible:
Smoking
Alcohol

The point of this post is to help increase public awareness of how to prevent cardiovascular illnesses.  Being a personal trainer and holistic health coach, I believe heart health should always be a priority and I strive to educate as many as possible in understanding and believing the same.

If you have any questions, comments, etc. regarding health and wellness please feel free to contact me.

Happy American Heart Month!

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