Safe Exercise for Heart Disease
Exercise is beneficial for everyone, even those who have heart disease or have had a heart attack. Regular exercise can strengthen your heart, promote quicker recovery, and reduce dependence on medication.
Heart benefits of exercise include:
- Lower blood pressure
- Increased HDL cholesterol levels
- Reduced triglycerides
- Decreased LDL cholesterol levels
- Reduced symptoms of heart failure
- Improved circulation
- Stronger heart muscle
- Blood sugar control
- Weight loss
- Reduced angina
However, you do need to be cautious before starting an exercise routine if you have heart disease or have had a heart attack.
Discuss with your doctor first
It’s especially important to discuss exercise with your doctor if you recently had a heart attack, are experiencing chest pain/pressure or shortness of breath, have diabetes, or recently had a heart procedure.
Some questions to ask your doctor include…
Continue reading
What Fruits Are in Season?
We all know how important it is to get your fruits and veggies in. Breakfast is a huge part of the day and healthy snacks in between are important to keep your metabolism going. If you want to get the full benefits of the delicious fruits you are eating, it is best to eat seasonally. Not only are you supporting local farmers but you get the freshest produce since they are not being frozen, packaged or shipped.
Shari’s Berries has created a chart with over 50 fruits and their peak season. Use fresh apricots in your favorite nonfat yogurt or infuse your water with blueberries. The good news is, there are a variety of options all year long.
Continue reading
Heart Attack vs. Panic Attack: When to seek medical attention
Heart disease impacts your heart muscle, blood vessels, and electrical system. Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease. Coronary artery disease involves the build-up of plaque deposits on artery walls. This plaque build-up is called atherosclerosis. When this plaque ruptures it cause a blood clot to suddenly block an artery. If this happens within the heart, it causes a heart attack. When this occurs, it’s imperative you receive life-saving treatment within the first 30-minutes to prevent permanent damage and death.
Symptoms
Chest pain and breathing difficult are common symptoms for both a panic attack and a heart attack. Additional symptoms for both can include palpitations, dizziness, feelings of impending doom, burning sensation in the chest, numbness of hands and feet, unusual fatigue, fainting, and sweating. Panic attacks occur spontaneously, maybe triggered by a stressful event. Chest pains, as a part of anxiety, are not normally considered to be dangerous. However, chest pain and breathing difficulty can also be signs of a lack of blood flow to the heart muscle.
How do you differentiate?
Heart Attack:
- Increasing chest pain reaching max severity in a few minutes
- Constant pressure, pain, aching
- Left chest pain
- Pain that radiates from the chest to other locations
- Pain connected to movement or exertion
Panic Attack: Continue reading
How Carb-Loading Negatively Impacts Heart Health
Carbohydrate loading (aka carb-loading) is often used by athletes to maximize the amount of fuel stored in muscle and readily available for use during competition.
Researchers from Vanderbilt and the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied the impact of an acute carbohydrate load in the form of a 264-calorie shake on the production of the hormone atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). ANP works in the body to eliminate excess salt and lower blood pressure.
Those who are obese produce less ANP. This contributes to more issues with salt retention and high blood pressure.
The study included 33 individuals with normal blood pressure levels. Prior to completing the study, participants followed a standard diet for a couple days to prevent dietary variability from impacting results. Their blood levels of ANP were then analyzed for twenty-four hours after consuming the 264 calorie carbohydrate shake.
There are 4 calories per 1 gram of carbohydrate. A 264 calorie shake equals 66 grams of carbohydrates.
A 20-ounce bottle of Coca Cola contains 65 grams of carbohydrates.
10 Heart Healthy Cooking Tips
With some heart healthy cooking, you can still enjoy delicious meals on a heart healthy diet. Plus, you don’t have to follow some strict “diet”. Many times you just need to tweak what you are already eating.
Here are 10 tips for heart healthy cooking.
#1 Replace processed grains with whole grains
This involves more than just switching to whole grain bread. Select whole-wheat flour, whole cornmeal, quinoa, and oatmeal to boost fiber intake. Also, look at the pasta and rice your purchase. Select whole grain pasta and brown rice for heart health. Some whole grain products take a little bit longer to prepare than their processed counterparts. Keep this in mind as you make the switch.
#2 Eliminate salt and watch for hidden sodium sources
Many canned and processed foods are high in added sodium. Read labels and select options that have “No Added Salt”. You can also reduce sodium content of canned vegetables by rinsing them in cold water prior to preparing. Take the salt shaker off the table to break a habit of salting your foods before you even try them.
#3 Eat more fruits and vegetables
Prepare well balanced meals that include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Every meal should have a fruit and/or vegetable and it’s okay to eat more than one serving. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet recommends 4-5 vegetables each day AND 4-5 servings of fruit daily.
#4 Use nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream Continue reading
The Beat on Resting Heart Rate (infographic)
See the below infographic highlighting the aggregated and anonymous resting heart rate data of over 1 million Fitbit users. Fitbit found a strong correlation between resting heart rate and two key health metrics: body mass index and moderate to intense daily activity. Check out some of the key data points about resting heart rate below, as well as tips on how to keep your heart healthy during the month of February and beyond.
Click to enlarge.
Continue reading
