A HEALTHY HEART FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

BY JAMIE MAXFIELD

It’s that time of year when we think about who sets our heart a flutter, or who we will give our heart to. There are heart-covered cards in the shops, and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. The heart is centre stage on February 14th. But to misquote a popular saying, ‘a heart is for life, not just for Valentine’s Day!’

Your heart works hard. It’s essential to pump nutrient and oxygen-rich blood to your whole body, as well as carry metabolic waste products away.

Most people think heart disease only affects older people but this isn’t true. The way you live while you’re young impacts your heart health in later life. Plaque can begin accumulating in your arteries in your teens and twenties. It comprises of fatty deposits, made up of waste products produced by the body’s cells. If plaque goes unchecked it can thicken the blood vessel walls, clog arteries and take a toll on your heart.

It’s commonly thought that heart disease is primarily a problem which affects men, but it’s also the second leading cause of death for women (after Alzheimer’s) in the UK, and about two in ten of the deaths caused by coronary artery disease occur in adults, whether male and female, who are under 65 years old.

This means that whatever sex you are, making heart-healthy choices when you’re young will reduce your risk of heart disease as you age.

Ways to reduce the risk of heart disease include:

• Eating a healthy diet

• Regular exercise

• Maintaining a healthy weight

• Avoiding smoking (or giving up)

• Avoiding excess alcohol

• Managing stress levels.

It’s also important to keep up with regular wellness examinations including monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Most pharmacists can carry out these checks.

One myth about heart disease is that all fat is bad for you, but while certain types of fats like saturated and trans fats are linked to heart disease, other types of fats can actually lower your risk of problems.

Hence you should include some unsaturated fats in your diet, as they are beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats are found in fresh nuts, olive oil, and low-fat dairy products, as fish rich in omega-3 fatty acid-rich, such as salmon.

Genes also play a role when it comes to heart health. It’s true that some people will always be more at risk of heart disease because of genes they’ve inherited from their parents. But just because you have a genetic predisposition to heart disease does not mean that its inevitable you will succumb. However, if you engage in harmful behaviours, such as smoking, excessive drinking avoiding exercise, and eating an unhealthy diet, you will definitely put yourself more at risk. Poor lifestyle choices can increase your cholesterol levels, cause high blood pressure, and even result in type 2 diabetes. All of these have the potential to increase your risk for contracting heart disease, so if you know you have genetic risk factors, it’s even more important to maintain a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure under control, and stay active.

This Valentine’s Day, ask yourself if, whoever you choose to give your heart to, will be getting a healthy one!

Helen Gagan Solicitor Asset Protection Trusts

“We’ve worked hard and saved all our lives, why should the Local Authority have access to everything if one of us needs to go into a care home?”

Mirror Wills leaving everything to the surviving spouse on your death for most families is the natural assumption of the right thing to do. HOWEVER, this means there is no asset protection in having this arrangement and all the matrimonial assets are exposed to being taken in care fees if sadly your health deteriorates and you end up needing full time care.

For a variety of reasons I DO NOT recommend giving your house to your children or putting it into Trust in your lifetime. Therefore, you will need to ask yourself, is it a good idea to leave your half share of your home to your surviving spouse/partner on death? Why not leave your half share for their USE but not actually give it to them?

Helen Gagan Solicitor Property Trust Wills can be drafted to be as flexible as you wish but the most straight forward arrangement is that on your death, if you die first, you leave your half share of your home in a family Trust arrangement for the benefit of by way of example your children, but state they are not to receive it during the lifetime of your surviving spouse.

Your half share of the property would then NOT be included in any future means test calculation for care fees.

Free initial consultations are available. If you have a Will already in place that you would like reviewed in line with your present situation or simply wish to obtain some more detailed information on Asset Protection Trusts, please feel free to email or call the office for an appointment.

Helen is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the field of Wills, Estate Planning, Trusts and related issues. Helen will be delighted to help and advise the local community in relation to:

Wills and Trusts Inheritance Tax

Care Fees Planning General & Lasting Powers of Attorney Probate Administration of Estates

Helen Gagan Solicitor ……. listening to her clients

Felpham Chambers, 60 Felpham Road, Felpham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 7NZ

Office telephone number: 01243 867330 Mobile: 07584 991081

Email: helen@helengagansolicitor.co.uk www.helengagansolicitor.co.uk