Raise Your Heart Smarts - Big Y® World Class Market®

Take Action Now to Protect Your Heart
Just because some members of your family have heart disease, doesn’t mean you’re destined for a lifetime of heartaches, too. Yes, a family history of heart ailments, high blood pressure or high cholesterol certainly increases your chances for problems. And no, you can’t change certain risk factors like your age, race, gender or genes. Nonetheless, you are in control of one of the best weapons in the fight against heart disease: a healthy lifestyle! Once you know what your risk factors are — and more important, what you can do about them — you’ll be on your way to winning your own personal war on heart disease. Start by taking charge of these leading risk factors today.

Choose Good Nutrition
A healthy diet is one of the best weapons you have to fight cardiovascular disease. The food you eat (and the amount) can affect other controllable risk factors: cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight. Choose nutrient-rich foods — which have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories — over nutrient-poor foods. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole-grain and high-fiber foods, fish, lean protein and fat-free or low-fat dairy products is the key. And to maintain a healthy weight, coordinate your diet with your physical activity level so you’re using up as many calories as you take in. See the American Heart Association recipes on pages 28–31 to get you started on the path of good nutrition.

Aim for a Healthy Weight
Obesity is an epidemic in America, not only for adults but also for children. An epidemic is when a health problem is out of control and many people are affected by it. Fad diets and supplements are not the answer. Good nutrition, controlling calorie intake and regular physical activity are the only ways to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity places you at risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, a precursor of type 2 diabetes — the very factors that heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease. Your Body Mass Index (BMI) can help tell you if your weight is healthy. For suggested foods and serving sizes to help you maintain a healthy weight, see the American Heart Association diet on pages 32–33.

Reduce Blood Cholesterol
Fat lodged in your arteries is a disaster waiting to happen. Sooner or later it could trigger a heart attack or stroke. You’ve got to reduce your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and get moving. If diet and physical activity alone don’t get those numbers down, then medication may be the key. Take it just like the doctor orders. Here’s the lowdown on where those numbers need to be:
Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL (bad) Cholesterol:
Low risk for heart disease: Less than 160 mg/dL
Intermediate risk for heart disease: Less than 130 mg/dL
High risk for heart disease (including those with existing heart disease or diabetes): Less than 100mg/dL
HDL (good) Cholesterol: 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50 mg/dL or higher for women Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL

Be Physically Active Every Day
Research has shown that getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity on 5 or more days of the week can help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and keep your weight at a healthy level. But something IS better than nothing. If you’re doing nothing now, start out slow. Even 10 minutes at a time may offer some health benefits. Studies show that people who have achieved even a moderate level of fitness are much less likely to die earlier than those with a low fitness level.

Lower High Blood Pressure
It’s the single largest risk factor for stroke. Stroke is the No. 3 killer and one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. Stroke recovery is difficult at best and you could be disabled for life. Shake that salt habit, take your medications as recommended by your doctor and get moving. Those numbers need to get down and stay down. Your goal is less than 120/80 mmHg.

Stop Smoking
If you smoke, quit. If someone in your household smokes, encourage them to quit. Quitting smoking is tough. But it’s tougher to recover from a heart attack or stroke or to live with chronic heart disease. Commit to quit.

Limit Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure and lead to heart failure or stroke. It can contribute to high triglycerides, produce irregular heartbeats and affect cancer and other diseases. It contributes to obesity, alcoholism, suicide and accidents. The risk of heart disease in people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol (an average of one drink for women or two drinks for men per day) is lower than in nondrinkers. However, it’s not recommended that nondrinkers start using alcohol or that drinkers increase the amount they drink.

Reduce Stress
Some scientists have noted a relationship between coronary heart disease risk and stress in a person’s life that may affect the risk factors for heart disease and stroke. For example, people under stress may overeat, start smoking or smoke more than they otherwise would. Research has even shown that stress reaction in young adults predicts middle-age blood pressure risk.

There’s no question that your health choices — including diet, exercise and whether you smoke — have the power to help you rewrite your medical future, regardless of your family history. Medicine and technology can only do so much, which means you need to do your part to keep your heart strong. By adopting these healthy lifestyle habits today, you can delay heart disease for years, improve your overall quality of life and minimize any future heart damage that may occur.

There’s no question that your health choices — including diet, exercise and whether you smoke — have the power to help you rewrite your medical future, regardless of your family history. Medicine and technology can only do so much, which means you need to do your part to keep your heart strong. By adopting these healthy lifestyle habits today, you can delay heart disease for years, improve your overall quality of life and minimize any future heart damage that may occur.

You are in control of one of the best weapons in the fight against heart disease:
A healthy lifestyle!