Hello Everyone, 

Make sure your 2009 year gets off to a great start by making the following ten steps to a healthy heart, by Jessie Sholl, part of your daily routine.

Enjoy,

Mark

NOTE:
A link to the original article is located at the bottom of this post. 

TEN STRATEGIES TO HELP PREVENT HEART DISEASE

Though some of us are born with a genetic predisposition for heart disease, that doesn’t mean it’s inevitable. There are many ways you can prevent the onset of heart disease — and keep it from worsening if you have been diagnosed with a specific heart issue. Here are some time-tested heart-disease prevention strategies to initiate: 

1.  Eat More Fiber
The American Heart Association recommends having a few meatless meals each week and increasing the amount of fiber and whole grains in your diet. There are lots of ways to do this. Registered dietitian Jill Nussinow suggests eating “whole grains, such as oatmeal, barley, quinoa, brown rice, beans and lentils, nuts, and seeds, in moderation; as well as soy products, if you tolerate them, in moderation; and fruit. Remember, plant foods contain fiber, and animal foods do not. Conversely, animal foods contain cholesterol, and plant foods do not.”

2.  Maintain a Healthy Weight
“In terms of heart disease, everything goes in the wrong direction when you’re overweight,” says George P. Rodgers, MD, a cardiologist in Austin, Texas. “But when you lose the weight, that all starts to correct itself: Blood pressure comes down, glucose comes down, HDL [“good” cholesterol] goes up. All the good things start to happen when you lose weight. And it doesn’t have to be a ton of weight; it could be a matter of losing 15 pounds.”

3.  Get More Exercise
The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of exercise six times a week. Make it fun by going to a class at the gym or by getting a friend to work out or walk with you. That way, you’re more likely to be consistent. And if there are days when fitting in even half an hour seems impossible, break it into shorter intervals — a 10-minute walk in the morning, another at lunchtime, and then 10 minutes at night.

4.  Count Your Steps
Pedometers are practically a fashion statement these days, which is a good thing for heart health! Joanne Larsen, a registered and licensed dietitian with extensive clinical experience in nutrition counseling, says: “If you wear a pedometer that counts steps, aim for 10,000 steps a day.” Not meeting your goal? Go for walk breaks instead of a snack breaks at work, and take the stairs whenever possible.

5.  Read Labels
“Sometimes the full-fat version of a food is actually better for you because the low-fat or nonfat versions often have a similar calorie level, but way more sugar,” Nussinow says. “Other times, products may be lower in calories but have a lot more sodium. It’s usually better to have smaller amounts of the real food, especially with peanut butter. People should be reading labels because they often aren’t buying what they think they are.”

6.  Sleep Well
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., are investigating the connection between sleep apnea and heart disease. Preliminary results indicate that swings in blood pressure and dips in oxygen levels associated with sleep apnea could make your arteries more prone to damage. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea (symptoms include snoring loud enough to disturb your sleep or that of others, shortness of breath that wakes you up, abnormal daytime sleepiness, or periods of stopped breathing during sleep), see your doctor about treatment.

7.  Glass of Wine
Recent studies have shown that resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, may help ease the sort of inflammation that affects heart health. It may also raise levels of HDL (known as the “good cholesterol”) in the blood. Red wine also contains the same sort of heart-healthy antioxidants found in dark chocolate. So, enjoy a glass — but with a caveat: If you drink more than one or two glasses, you’ll end up canceling out the benefits.

8.  Nutritional Supplements
Stephen Sinatra, MD, a cardiologist and assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut, advises his patients to take targeted nutritional supplements. “I love magnesium, fish oil, and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Those are probably my three top nutrients. Not only to prevent heart disease, but if you already have it, they’ll help stabilize the plaque [on your blood vessels]. At least a gram or two of fish oil [1,000 to 2,000 milligrams (mg)], at least 100 mg of CoQ10, and about 200 to 400 mg of magnesium per day — that’s in addition to the healthy nutrients you get through your diet.”

9.  The Mind-Body Connection
“People who see the world optimistically — who see the cup as half-full — [typically] do not get heart disease, as opposed to people who are more pessimistic, who worry all the time, who live in fear — these are the people who have hormonal responses that lead to heart disease,” Dr. Sinatra says. So, if you find yourself feeling angry or stressed out, do something relaxing, like taking a long walk or joining a yoga class. The benefits will be physical as well — giving you even more to feel good about!

10.  Stop Smoking
Smoking damages the cells that line the arteries and increases your blood pressure and heart rate; it is one of the worst heart health offenders. And the effects of secondhand smoke can be almost as damaging, which means that your cigarette habit may even be putting the health of the people around you at risk. Talk to your doctor if you need help kicking the habit. The good news? Five years after quitting, your heart attack risk goes down to that of a nonsmoker.

Click Here to go to the original article containing many helpful links and resources.