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It’s
Sweetheart’s Day!!!
Be Good to Your Heart Everyday!
The
heart is associated with love.
We’ve probably all experienced heartaches (if not
actual heartbreaks) for love,
but the heart is also symbolic of love of self.
How
can we be “heart smart” and care for our heart?
Uncontrolled
stress is a common problem in our modern day world, and
the damage caused by long-term negative stress is largely
due to the effects of cortisol. The popular
media has blamed cortisol for added body fat, especially
around the abdominal area, and indeed it does play a significant
role in body fat deposition. More troubling, however, is
cortisol’s capacity
to cause microscopic “nicks” in the interior
lining of the arteries. These little “nicks”
provide a perfect shelf for the deposition of fatty cholesterol-making
plaque leading to atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening
of the arteries). This condition predisposes us to stroke,
high blood pressure and heart disease.
 Both
anaerobic and aerobic exercise modifies blood cholesterol.
Aerobic exercise reduces LDL (low density lipoprotein)—the
bad cholesterol, and anaerobic
exercise (such as resistance training) raises HDL (high
density lipoprotein).
A balanced
exercise program will help normalize your cholesterol ratio
and total cholesterol count.
What
you feed yourself is reflected in the heart’s health.
High fat foods, refined sugars, alcohol and processed foods
all negatively impact heart health. Although both fats and
oils have nine calories per gram and should be taken in
small amounts by anyone wanting to restrict calories, hard
fat (from animal sources and hydrogenated sources) stay
as hard fat in the blood stream and are easily laid down
as plaque in the arteries. Liquid fats as
oils from fish and most vegetable sources remain as liquid
in the blood stream, and do
not generally contribute to narrowing of the arterial flow.
There is some evidence that oils can reduce the buildup
of plaque. Overdoing dietary consumption of either fats
or oils will result in increased body fat because of their
high caloric count. A healthy
ratio of fats, protein, and carbohydrates is certainly no
more than 30 percent fat, ideally 20 percent, and
most of that should come from oils. Do this simply by cutting
way back on dairy and meat, as well as processed foods containing
hydrogenated fats and oils. The other 80 percent
of calories should be derived from lean source protein at
about 20 percent, and then the rest from fiber-rich complex
carbohydrates. This will give you the most vitamins
and health benefit for the calories taken.
Alcohol
has seven calories per gram, and it is metabolized
much the same as sugar and other high glycemic index foods.
It converts to fat easily and is stored right around the
middle. It is not a coincidence that we have the term "beer
belly." Packing on weight around the
middle puts a huge strain on the heart muscle.
It is also indicative of fat deposits being stored
around the internal organs, including the heart.
 Smoking
is a vasoconstrictor, which raises blood pressure.
As well, smoking robs the body of many nutrients needed
for optimal health while it dramatically increases the risk
of lung cancer.
Caffeine
does nothing to help the stress reduction plan.
It affects resting heart rate and also is a contributing
factor to the onset of osteoporosis. Try to cut back.
Be
Heart Smart and Happy Valentine’s Day!!! |
Jane
Riley has worked in the health and fitness industry for nearly thirty
years, having received degrees in both kinesiology and psychology. Her
clients have ranged from the very fit, world-ranked athlete to the recuperating
accident victim, and from young women with self-esteem problems to the
elderly wanting to regain balance and strength. She is a nationally ranked
athlete in both women’s power lifting and women’s bodybuilding,
and for 20+ years has been a certified personal fitness trainer, an experienced
competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter.
