Happy Heart Health Month!
With Heart Health tips flooding nightly news, magazine stands, cereal boxes, and more, the “how to’s” of taking care of your Heart; the hardest working muscle in our body, can be a bit overwhelming-but every bit worth reviewing and understanding. For this month’s blog entries, I would will share Facts and Proven Heart Health solutions to help you make easy and healthy choices to keep your Heart: Healthy, Happy & Hardy!
Most people are aware of many of the health tips for a healthy Heart, however many of us have known for years about ways to improve our health and our Heart yet Heart Disease has become the #1 Killer in both men & women and sadly the disease is NOT slowing down and now affecting our children.
To get a better understanding of the Heart, let’s take a look at 5 Facts:
ü The heart does the most physical work of any muscle during a lifetime. Grab a tennis ball and squeeze it tightly: that’s how hard the beating heart works to pump blood.
ü Even at rest, the muscles of the heart work hard-twice as hard as the leg muscles of a person sprinting.
ü More than 82 Million American adults are estimated to have cardiovascular disease. That’s’ 1 in 3 people.
ü Heart disease is a lifelong condition-once you get it, you'll always have it. That's why it is so vital to take action to prevent and control this disease.
ü Obesity is the #1 indicator of potential Heart diseases. Side effects of obesity include increased blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Blood pressure rises in obese people who also are at greater risk of developing diabetes, which can also add to the risks of heart problems.
Through my Heart Health blogs this month, I am going to offer 8 Heart Health necessities I hope you will implement. The good news is that you can make the changes gradually, one at a time. But please know that taking steps towards each one of the tips is equally essential to a Healthy Heart and a Healthy You. In addition to the tips and info, I will be sharing which Shaklee products have been proven to offer the health tip suggested.
The first 2 changes are Getting Active & Losing Weight:
While most people believe, including me, that you are what you eat, it takes more than great food to keep your Heart healthy and happy. Playing outside, laughing, volunteering and finding other ways to stay active and maintain balance in your life are keys to staying Heart healthy.
Exercise doesn’t have to be a costly gym membership, or require a new wardrobe, simply getting 10,000 steps in every day will help your heart (purchase an inexpensive pedometer to track your daily steps). Park further away from your destinations; Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator, Walk to nearby stores when shopping, Dance with your vacuum and twirl with your duster! Turn up the music while cleaning and enjoy it. Also, did you know? A hearty laugh is also good for the heart. This laugh attack can actually cause the lining of blood vessels to relax, enabling more blood to flow through for at least 45 minutes afterward.
Lose Weight:
I know, easier said than done, but truth is, Obesity is now recognized as a major independent risk factor for Heart Disease. If you have too much fat-especially if a lot is at your waist-you’re at a higher risk for health problems such as High blood pressure, High blood cholesterol, some Cancers and Diabetes.
Start by focusing on losing just 10 lbs. Starting with just 10 lbs is much less overwhelming than a total amount of weight loss however, once you lose the 10 lbs, its very motivating and rewarding to work toward another 10 lbs.
Weight Loss Tips: Yes, it is a great idea to remove those unhealthy snacks, sugary foods, fattening deserts, and salty temptations, whatever your downfall. But the very most important tip to remember is to ADD in something good. Many of us are not eating the daily recommended amount of fruits & veggies. Did you know the top 3 vegetables consumed in the US are Ketchum, Iceburg Lettuce and French Fries? I am not joking. Let’s work on increasing the amount of fruits & veggies and the variety we eat daily. How about, try a new fruit or vegetable every week?
Because of the Obesity, Heart Disease and Diabetes Epidemic currently happening, there have been new dietary guidelines set.
See http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf for great info.
Another essential is to add in to your daily diet is Leucine. Never heard of it? Unless you are a body-builder, most people are not familiar with this essential amino acid. What makes it so unique? It builds muscle and muscle equals weight loss and with your Heart being the most important muscle in our body, we want to feed it well. And don’t worry, by adding in Leucine, you will not be the next muscle master!
Looking for a great way to lose that unwanted fat and build healthy muscle? Maybe you're ready to get off that yo-yo dieting cycle? Great News! Shaklee has studied and used Leucine for decades. Our Cinch Inch Loss products offer a balance of nutrients, Leucine, fiber, and protein to keep the muscle you need and burn the fat you don’t want. Plus Cinch is super yummy, very convenient, cost-effective, and it works.
Learn more at:
I hope you have found these tips helpful and easy to implement. Stay tuned for next weeks Heart Health update with 2 more easy but essential health changes you can make for a Healthier, Happier You~
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