Week of February 15 – February 21, 2013
SPORTS
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February Designated as Heart Health Month
by Michael Lapolla for Saratoga TODAY February is designated as Heart Health Month, so it seems fitting to discuss this all-important topic. The facts are pretty straight forward. Heart disease kills one in every four people, or more than 600,000 people per year. Comparatively, heart disease kills more women than for other types of cancer combined. That’s a pretty important statistic and should make most people take note. First and foremost, it’s important to understand what heart disease is. Heart disease or Coronary Artery Disease is a disease that affects the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and nutrients. The simple act of living, breathing and eating helps contribute to plaque buildup within the walls of the arteries. It’s really not all that different than an old house with clogged plumbing. If you live long enough and if your lifestyle is not conducive to good health, you’re at increased risk of plaque deposition and artery narrowing. If enough of a restriction is present, it may lead to a heart attack (In medical terminology, a myocardial infarction or “death of heart tissue.”) This situation occurs when the heart, which is also a muscle, demands oxygen and nutrients faster than can be delivered through a compromised blood vessel. If it goes without oxygen for a long enough period of time, damage occurs to the heart muscle tissue. If your heart becomes damaged, its performance deteriorates which may impede the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to other important parts of your body like your brain and other vital organs. You get the picture. Your heart is the pump that circulates the juice to keep you alive! How can you reduce your risk for getting Heart Disease?
1. Stop smoking (and if you can’t stop, cut down!) Quitting smoking is the single most important thing a person can do to cut their risk of cardiovascular disease. If you are a smoker, you are twice as likely to have a heart attack as a non-smoker. Thankfully, the moment you stop smoking, the risk of a heart attack begins to decline. With public smoking bans recently introduced, there has never been a better time to stop. 2. Reduce your salt intake. Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Avoid foods like crisps, salted nuts, canned and packet soups and sauces, baked beans and canned vegetables, pizzas and ready meals. Many breakfast cereals and breads that appear healthy also contain high levels of salt, so keep your eye on these too. 3. Watch your diet. A healthy diet can help to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and can also help increase the chances of survival after a heart attack. You should try to have a balanced diet, containing plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish, wholegrain bread, pasta and rice. Avoid foods like biscuits, cakes, pastries and dairy products that are high in saturated fats and sugar. Good heart healthy diets that are low in calories help to reduce systemic inflammation which many believe is critical to reducing the damage to the artery walls. 4. Monitor your alcohol. Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking will increase your risk of having a heart attack, so you should aim to limit your intake to one to two drinks per day. Although a significant body of research exists that one or two drinks may be heart healthy, it’s still not recommended to start drinking if you don’t already do so.
5. Get active. The heart is a muscle and it needs exercise to keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently round your body with each heartbeat. You should aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day. If this seems too daunting, start off gently and build up gradually. Keeping fit not only benefits your physical health it improves your mental health and reduces the risk of dozens of other diseases. It’s true what they say: Exercise is medicine. 6. Manage your weight. The number of people who are overweight in in the US continues to rise. Currently, almost two-thirds of the adult population is overweight or obese. Carrying extra weight, especially fat, can greatly affect your health and increases the risk of life-threatening conditions such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. If you are overweight or obese, start by making small, but healthy changes to what you eat, and try to become more active. 7. Monitor your blood pressure and your LDL cholesterol. The higher your blood pressure is, the shorter your life expectancy. People with high blood pressure run a higher risk of having a stroke or a heart attack. High levels of cholesterol, and specifically
the LDL or “bad” cholesterol in the blood, produced by the liver from saturated fats, can lead to fatty deposits in your coronary arteries that increase your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diseases that affect the circulation. You can help lower your cholesterol level by exercising and eating high fiber foods such as beans, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables. 8. Learn to manage your stress levels. Chronic stress or feelings of anxiety can cause the body to be in a state of constant fight or flight. This state causes a flood of chemical and physiological reactions that can wreak havoc on the walls of the arteries, accelerating the artery clogging process, especially if it occurs regularly. 9. Check your family history. If a close relative is at risk of developing coronary heart disease from smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes, then you could be at risk too. If you are at increased risk, it’s even more important to take steps to lead a healthier lifestyle. 10. Make sure you can recognize the early signs of coronary heart disease. Tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach which comes on when you
exert yourself but goes away with rest may be the first sign of angina, which can lead to a heart attack if left untreated. As an exercise physiologist, it’s been my job to look at the big picture when designing and prescribing wellness programs for my clients. If you have concerns about starting a program to reduce your risk for heart disease or have heart disease and have questions about how to start a safe exercise routine, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Thanks for reading. Michael Lapolla is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as an Exercise Specialist and co-owns Saratoga Health & Wellness (Saratoga TODAY Best of Award Winner, Best fitness facility, 2012) with Nicholas Galuardi. Michael and his college-degreed staff design custom exercise programs for a wide range of clients. You may contact the team at SH&W at (518) 306-6987 or visit them on the web at www.saratogahealthandwellness.com