Let’s Talk: Heart Health part 1
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Let’s Talk: Heart Health
My Name is Greg Greirman, and on February 2, 2011 I discovered just how important my Heart Health was. A little more than five year’s after my aortic dissection I have learned a lot about my Heart Health and want to share this information in my series Let’s Talk: Heart Health with others in the hopes that I can help them keep their hearts healthy.
Let’s Talk: Diet and Heart Health
Eat less fat, lower your salt intake, Cholesterol is bad: We’ve all heard the talk…Eat healthy for a stronger, healthier heart. But are we really listening?
Statistics would suggest no, we hear the warnings but don’t take heed.
According to the CDC Features -Heart Month Report in February
“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day.”
One of the most simple things you can do to increase the health of your heart, thereby decreasing the risk of heart attack and even stroke is to be careful about what you put in your body. I know, I know, you are thinking “Who has time to read labels and crunch numbers on everything they eat?” Honestly, I think people make it way harder than it has to be.
In this series I will walk you through some very simple, basic guidelines for improving your eating style for your Heart Health. Starting with the very simple guideline of planning ahead. By planning ahead you get the jump on your day, give yourself the opportunity to make arrangements for those “challenging moments” like “what to eat for lunch when everyone is having Mcdonalds.” Planning ahead also allows you to ensure more rounded meals that include something from all the food groups and schedule meal times so you are eating Before you are so hungry you can and will eat a house. The Mayo Clinic site has a great list of 8 things you can do to make healthy changes in your diet. Click here for more details.
Let’s Talk: Stress and Heart Health
Stress is a big factor in the everyday walk through life and as such, is also a main contributor to the overall picture of health in everyone’s lives. Too much stress or the improper handling of daily stress, and you can “blow a circuit” causing your blood pressure to rise, your heart to work harder because it speeds up and wear down your thyroid and immune system.
There are 4 ways to deal with stress that everyone needs to learn:
1. Positive Self Talk (change the way you speak)
2. Learn Emergency Stress Stoppers (driving in the slow lane on purpose is a good start here)
3. Find things to take pleasure in (laughter is a great medicine!)
4. Daily Relaxation (taking slow steady breathes and imagining yourself in your favorite spot is a really simple, quick way to relax even at work)
The American Heart Association has a great website with these same suggestions and lists of the different things you can do to include them into your daily routine.
Well that’s if for now, I am doing a full Let’s Talk: Heart Health series that will include more details about these two topics and even more information about keeping your heart healthy environmentally, physically and emotionally too.
I would love to hear your feed back on this post, especially any tips or suggestions about heart health for my Let’s Talk: Heart Health series.
To your Heart Health
Greg Greiman
P.S. If you are tired of the “Rat Race” of working too much for too little and always stressing over long commutes or the fear of losing your job before retirement because of your age then break free from those bondages with Empower Network with me.