Saturday the iHealthchic Race Team participated in the American Heart Association walk in downtown Dallas. We did this for several reasons…helping to raise money and awareness of important health issues is one of our team missions. Secondly, this particular health concern is one that is near and dear to one of our team members. Karen lost both parents and a sister to heart disease. Would you believe that starting at the age of 35, it is the leading killer of women? It\’s not just a disease for men and older women. Arm yourself with the knowledge to remain healthy and take steps TODAY to lower your risk.
1. Learn Your Family History. Diabetes, heart disease, strokes, high cholesterol and high blood presssure can be genetic. The earlier you know the risks, the earlier you can begin to combat them.
2. Eat Right. Yup, that means eliminating saturated and those nasty TRANS fats from your diet. The Mediterranean diet still seems to be the best route to go–more veggies, beans, fish, nuts and less meat.
3. Know Your Numbers. Keep your BMI below 25, LDL < 130, HDL 50+, total cholesterol 200 or less, and your waist less than 35 inches.
4. Exercise. Our bodies are meant to move. Do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every day and lift weights at LEAST twice a week. Lower your body fat. Exercise alone can reduce your risk of heart attack by 35-50%! That\’s huge!
5. Quite Smoking. You are still at high risk for 5 years following smoking cessation, but the risk steadily decreases.
Best of luck and happy Monday to you all!