National Wear Red Day is designed to increase awareness about heart disease among women. This day was created to deliver an urgent wake-up call to women about the number one health threat, heart disease.
Easy Ways to Boost Heart Health
There are many things you can do to decrease your chances of cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, it is not necessary to become a marathon runner in order to live a healthier lifestyle. The most essential part of creating a heart-healthy routine is by making good choices with regard to diet and exercise.
Ways to Enhance Your Heart Health
Stay Hydrated
Consuming an appropriate amount of water (eight glasses of water per day) plays a vital role in heart health. When you are properly hydrated, you crave less sugary drinks. Many experts believe that over 50 percent of the calories consumed each day by women come from sweetened beverages. Replacing sugary drinks with water lowers caloric intake and keeps blood sugar stable, supporting a healthy cardiovascular system.
Eliminate Processed Foods
Processed foods are unhealthy and bad for your heart. Hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and aspartame all have a negative effect on the human cardiovascular system. Such foods are filled with chemicals and high amounts of salt and sodium. These foods put you at risk for high blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack. Replace processed foods with items you make yourself. For example, make a turkey and vegetable wrap made from fresh spinach and cooked turkey opposed to processed meats and cheese wrapped in white bread, which offer little or no nutrition.
Opt For Real Foods
Adding real foods to your diet is a great way to get rid of junk food and strengthen your heart. Simple changes, such as shunning tortilla chips in lieu of kale chips make a big impact on overall health. Keep your refrigerator and pantry stocked with organic vegetables and fruits so you consume less junk food.
Add Fiber to Your Diet
Fiber is vital to heart health and has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Opt for whole grain products instead of items made from white processed flour.
Exercise
Choose fun activities when planning an exercise regimen. Activities such as dancing, walking, bowling, playing ping-pong, and even housecleaning can burn calories and strengthen your heart, provided you get at least minimally out of breath while engaged.
The easiest way to choose an exercise is to make a list of the kind of things you enjoy and come up with a way to fit at least one of them into your daily schedule. Once you are conditioned to a certain level of exercise, try more traditional workouts or sign up for a fun aerobics class.
Strength Training
Heart healthy exercise involves strength training. When searching for a good cardio workout, most people think of aerobic activities such as running. However, there are other activities that play a vital role in heart health. For example, your heart rate accelerates when you lift weights, even at a moderate intensity. The same is true for exercises such as lunges and push-ups. When you participate in resistance training of any type, you are working your cardiovascular system and muscular system. Your entire body will becomes stronger when your muscle strength increases, benefitting your heart.
De-Stress With Exercise
It is important to implement a “feel-good” exercise into your workout schedule to help manage stress. All exercises boosts the production of endorphins however, activities such as Tai Chi, Pilates and yoga are good for de-stressing and enhancing your body-mind connection.
Heart disease is a silent killer and strikes more than 500,000 women each year. Follow the steps above to significantly reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Speak to a licensed health care practitioner before starting any new diet or exercise program.
