Posts Tagged ‘cardiovascular disease’

Tips For Keeping Your Circulatory System Super Healthy For Longer Life

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

Now more than ever, having a healthy circulatory system is critical. After all, heart disease is plaguing western nations because of poor diet and lack of physical activity.

I understand that a lot of the modern day sedentarism is due to progress. So don’t assume that it’s all your fault. The environment you live in may be working against you.

Thus, without any more delay, here is how to increase arterial health:

1. Do joint friendly cardio: Breaking a sweat and getting your heart beating fast is a great way to maintain tone in your cardiovascular system. The key here, however, is to make sure what you’re doing isn’t eroding your joints. Swimming, elliptical trainers and any other form of low impact activity should work.

2. Use some outside help: A great strategy here is to take some aspirin which will help blood get through your body with ease. It will also reduce inflammation-a leading cause of arterial disease. Now make sure you discuss taking aspirin with your doctor before making it part of your daily regimen.

3. Increase good fats: But even within good fats, some are better than others. And what most westerners are lacking are omega-3 fats. Olive oil, for instance, is not an omega-3 fat. So make sure you really stock up on walnuts, flax seed and fatty fish.

4. Floss: Despite constant efforts on the part of dentists and doctors, most people still do NOT floss. Not only does flossing prevent mouth decay, but it also maintains cardiovascular health by getting rid of inflammatory bacteria. So make it part of your routine to floss regularly.

5. Have some chocolate: But not all chocolate is created equal. You see, most of the stuff you find in the store is loaded with extra sugar and fat-the things that will decrease your arterial health. So make sure you get raw, unprocessed cocoa for maximum benefits.

Having a healthy cardiovascular system is more important than ever. The key here is to start implementing this advice into your daily routine now, not later.

Author Katherine Crawford, a fitness physiologist and former arm fat sufferer, instructs on how to get skinny arms. Unearth how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her website with shake weight reviews now!

Easy Steps For A Healthier Heart That Works Better

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

Heart disease is one of the top killers in the United States. Thus, learning how to increase your heart health is critical for a long and healthy lifespan.

Unfortunately, a lot of what we do day in and day out is NOT conducive towards optimal heart health.

So, without further delay, here are 6 ways to make your heart super healthy:

1. Walk: As simple as this seems, walking is a great way to increase circulation without stressing your muscles or your body. In fact, I believe that simple activities such as walking are the most underrated habits you can do.

2. Resistance train: Resistance training is a great way to increase the health of your circulatory system because it decreases visceral fat. And visceral fat is the most unhealthy type of fat because it secretes harmful substances into your general circulation.

3. Eat as many vegetables as possible: The more vegetables you eat, the healthier your heart will be. Countless studies have shown this, there is no doubt here. So make sure you find semi-automated ways of cooking. This will ensure adherence and make the barriers to healthy eating that much lower.

4. Never miss out on breakfast: If you do, your levels of insulin will be disrupted for the rest of the day-not a good scenario. And once insulin is disrupted, sugar will stay in your blood for longer periods of time and it is more likely to enter your fat cells.

5. Cut out the calorie-drinking: Drinking excessive alcohol isn’t the only thing that is bad for you, drinking sugar is also horrible for your arteries. You see, once too much sugar enters your blood stream, it damages the elasticity of your arteries.

6. Eat nuts: Nuts have unsaturated fats which help shuffle more nutrients into your active tissues versus fat cells. And if more nutrients are going into your active tissues, your arteries and circulatory system will be that much healthier.

Now the key here is to take action on this information sooner rather than later. After all, if you wait too long, you are most likely going to forget what you have learned!

Fitness author Katherine Crawford, an exercise physiologist and former flabby arms sufferer, teaches exercise for flabby arms. Figure out how to get sexy arms by exploring her website with shake weight reviews now!

Does Cardiovascular Exercise Make Your Heart Healthier Or Is It A Waste Of Time?

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Lots of people do cardio to lose more weight. But should this be your primary reason for doing cardio? After all, research has shown that it’s also a great way to increase heart health.

Unfortunately, simply knowing that cardio improves heart health may not be motivation enough to start using that old treadmill.

Thus, without further ado, here’s the top reasons why cardio is great for your heart:

1. Better blood flow: If your blood flow is improved, your internal pipes are less likely to become clogged. In other words, you will have a reduced risk of clots and blockages-a perfect recipe for long term heart health.

2. Less work: As you do more and more cardiovascular exercise, you heart will grow bigger and stronger. And this translates into more output with less effort. In other words, your heart rate will go down and your stronger heart will not strain as much.

3. Less arterial pressure: In other words, doing high intensity cardio can reduce your blood pressure. And remember that bouts of high blood pressure can really damage the inside lining of your arteries. Think of a garden house that is being subjected to high amounts of water pressure, over the long run its bound to wear out.

4. More high density lipoprotein: High density lipoprotein, or HDL, is the good cholesterol that plays a huge role in improving heart health and preventing heart attacks. In fact, the different populations around the world with the highest life expectancies, have the most HDL.

5. Less blood sugar: And less blood sugar translates into lower levels of insulin and a decreased risk for developing diabetes. All of the above will preserve the elasticity of your arteries which in turn will keep your heart healthier.

6. Weight loss: Fat is no longer considered a stagnant tissue. In fact, research shows that fat secretes harmful substances into general circulation. And cardio reduces the risk of accumulating excess fat.

Hopefully, you are now convinced that cardio should be a part of your daily routine.

One more thing: remember to take action on this information sooner rather than later. Because later usually never comes and information gets forgotten.

Author Katherine Crawford, a fitness physiologist and recent flabby arms sufferer, teaches how to reduce arm fat. Figure out how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her blog with shake weight reviews right now!

6 Steps Towards A Stronger Cardiovascular System

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Keeping your cardiovascular system and heart as strong as possible is a great way to prolong your warranty. And of all the tools, exercise and nutrition seem to be extremely effective.

The bad news here is that many people are actually decreasing their heart health.

So, without further ado, here is how to make your heart stronger:

1. Have some weight lifting in your routine: Weight lifting will not only help keep your body fat levels in check, but it will also make the walls of your heart thicker. And any structure with thicker walls is going to be much more sturdier.

2. Do some cardio: Anything that gets your heart rate up for extended periods of time can be considered cardiovascular exercise. And while weight lifting makes the walls of your heart thicker, cardiovascular exercise will make your left ventricle bigger.

3. Have a little omega 3: The key here is to have a little. Too many people are overdoing fish oil consumption here. And if you have too much fish oil you can actually damage your heart via oxidation. So have no more than 1 gram of fish oil per day.

4. Don’t supplement with fiber: Instead, get your fiber from natural sources. This is the best way to get your bad cholesterol down. After all, supplemental fiber has been shown to increase colon cancer risk. So get both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet.

5. Stay away from trans fatty acids: You really have to get into the habit of reading nutrition facts any time you are going to buy something that isn’t natural. You see, the nutrition facts will always tell you if there are trans fats present.

6. Have some cocoa: Just make sure it’s raw and organic. You see, cocoa increases vasodilation. And any time you increase vasodilation you decrease the amount of work your heart has to do. Even better, cocoa is loaded with anti oxidants.

Keeping your heart in tip top shape with both nutrition and exercise is a great way to prolong how much you can exercise for many years to come!

Writer Katherine Crawford, a fitness physiologist and recent arm fat sufferer, instructs on how to do arm workouts for women. Unearth how to get sexy arms by exploring her website with shake weight reviews now!

Getting Your Essential Omega 3’s

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Everybody knows about Omega 3’s, or has the term being thrown around. It’s the latest health buzz word, and even the big corporations are starting to promote the presence of it in their food. We all know we need to eat Omega 3’s, but not everybody is clear on exactly what the benefits are, where to get them and exactly why we should be making such an effort to do so. Let’s review the basics, examine the pros and cons, and then determine the best places for you to get your Omega 3’s from.

Omega 3’s are an essential nutrient. That means that your body cannot create it by itself, and it must be consumed within your diet to ensure your body gets the amount it needs. Omega 3’s are a fatty acid, and contain such crucial acids as a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), all of which are polyunsaturated. These fatty acids are essential in promoting numerous health benefits which I’ll detail below.

An important source of Omega 3’s are fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines. You can also find Omega 3’s in a variety of nuts such as walnuts, pecans, hazel nuts and flaxseed, as well as in eggs, grass-fed beef, milk and cheese from grass-fed cows, microalgae and flaxseed oil.

An important thing to keep in mind is that the amount of Omega 3 you ingest is important relative to the amount of Omega 6’s. In 1963 it was discovered that Omega 6’s are converted by the body into pro-inflammatory agents called prostaglandins, and in 1979 another three types were discovered. These four are known as eicosanoids, and have important biological functions, but if created faster than they can be metabolized, they can cause serious health problems related to cardiovascular disease, triglycerides, blood pressure and arthritis. Omega 3’s are also converted into eicosanoids, but at a much slower rate. Thus, the ratio of Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s in your system will determine how much of each are converted, and whether you’ll make more than your body can handle. A ratio of 1:1 to 1:4 Omega 3’s to 6’s is considered healthy, but many Americans have ratios of 1:20, which causes the problems listed above. Thus making sure you consume enough Omega 3’s relative to your Omega 6’s will keep you healthy.

What are the health benefits? They’re related to the prevention of synthesizing too many eicosanoids, which can cause inflammation in the body. Thus some of the body of preventing too much inflammation are reducing blood pressure, reducing blood triglycerides, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease for people with a history of heart attacks. There is also good evidence that proper consumption of Omega 3’s can reduce the rate of heart disease in all people, not just people with a history of cardiovascular disease, and help people with morning stiffness and joint tenderness. Further, a new study just released in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jan 2010) revealed that the more Omega 3’s you consume, the slower the length of your telomeres decreased. Telomeres are the structures at the end of a chromosome that get shorter the more ties a cell divides, making them a significant marker of your body’s biological age.

So, the long and short of it is that Omega 3’s are an excellent source of key fatty acids which your body synthesizes into eicosanoids at a slower rate than Omega 6’s. While eicosanoids are vital to your body’s functioning, making sure their levels don’t exceed your body’s ability to metabolize them plays a vital role in preventing cardiovascular disease and damage caused by over-inflammation.

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