Promoting Heart Health
Daniel Andrade
January 11, 2008
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Organizations like the American Heart association are trying to combat this problem through education and increasing public awareness of heart disease, but considering the lifestyle changes required this has been an uphill battle for them. Heart health however is something everyone should be concerned about.
But the question is how do we get and keep a healthy heart? Despite it seeming like a daunting task, improving our overall hearth health is not difficult. Like many other lifestyle changes it takes a commitment to the changes necessary and the will power to follow through.
The first thing that must be changed for most people to maintain hearth health is to refrain from eating a diet high in fats and cholesterol. Red meats, French fries, and the dark meat of chicken, all of which are staples of the American diet should be reduced and replace with healthier choices like fruits, grains, and vegetables.
Diet is only one part of the equation if we want to reduce our chances of suffering from a heart attack later in life, the second part is to get out and fitness exercise more. It cannot just be any old exercise. The heart itself is a muscle used to pump blood and in order to improve its condition we must do aerobic exercises that cause it to work harder during our workouts and more efficiently overall.
Aerobic and other cardiovascular workouts cause the heart to operate more efficiently. They also cause people to lose weight, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Carrying around extra weight forces the heart to work harder to pump blood to all of the areas of the body that need it and makes it more likely that the person will suffer from a heart attack. (Not to mention other possible health complications like diabetes.)
Lowering your chances of a heart attack and improving your heart health also lowers the chances that you will suffer from a stroke in later life, as many of the causes are the same. So it is best if we order fewer French fries and pick up our running shoes more often to make the most important changes to improve your heart health. Just remember that an occasional steak or hamburger as an indulgence is perfectly acceptable as long as you substitute salads for hamburgers.
But the question is how do we get and keep a healthy heart? Despite it seeming like a daunting task, improving our overall hearth health is not difficult. Like many other lifestyle changes it takes a commitment to the changes necessary and the will power to follow through.
The first thing that must be changed for most people to maintain hearth health is to refrain from eating a diet high in fats and cholesterol. Red meats, French fries, and the dark meat of chicken, all of which are staples of the American diet should be reduced and replace with healthier choices like fruits, grains, and vegetables.
Diet is only one part of the equation if we want to reduce our chances of suffering from a heart attack later in life, the second part is to get out and fitness exercise more. It cannot just be any old exercise. The heart itself is a muscle used to pump blood and in order to improve its condition we must do aerobic exercises that cause it to work harder during our workouts and more efficiently overall.
Aerobic and other cardiovascular workouts cause the heart to operate more efficiently. They also cause people to lose weight, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Carrying around extra weight forces the heart to work harder to pump blood to all of the areas of the body that need it and makes it more likely that the person will suffer from a heart attack. (Not to mention other possible health complications like diabetes.)
Lowering your chances of a heart attack and improving your heart health also lowers the chances that you will suffer from a stroke in later life, as many of the causes are the same. So it is best if we order fewer French fries and pick up our running shoes more often to make the most important changes to improve your heart health. Just remember that an occasional steak or hamburger as an indulgence is perfectly acceptable as long as you substitute salads for hamburgers.