Health and Wellness
Over time, you are what you eat on a daily basis. Our daily intake of food and beverages can make us focused, happier, duller or slowed down. We know that healthy, balanced meals can actually effectively help rather than hinder in diseases such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and high cholesterol.
We also are learning about healthy diet and the brain. We have heard about "emotional" eating. Learning to manage one's emotions and having emotional intelligence can lead to a healthier and happier life.
Maintaining Cardiovascular Health
By: Ria
In these times more than ever, where most people are home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to maintain cardiovascular health. In 2018, 30.3 million adults in the United States alone were diagnosed with heart disease and between 2015 and 2016, approximately 40% of adults in the United States were classified as obese (defined as having a BMI >30). Development of cardiovascular disease (CVD, which includes coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease and more) is influenced by a myriad of factors: physical activity, diet, habits, blood cholesterol/glucose levels and more.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) journal, Circulation, there are a variety of criteria that determine cardiovascular health for adults 20 years of age and older. In this age group, those who maintain the following are able to achieve optimal cardiovascular health: have never smoked or have quit smoking for longer than 12 months, have a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25.0, engage in physical activity (described below), maintain a healthy diet, have cholesterol levels of <200 mg/dL, have blood pressure of <120/80 mmHg, and have <100 mg/dL fasting blood glucose levels. Although these parameters may seem overwhelming, there are many things that we can do to maintain them, and in turn, maintain our cardiovascular health.
According to the most current AHA Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should complete aerobic exercise between 150 and 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity, or between 75 and 150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity. They also recommend that adults complete muscle-strengthening exercise of all muscle groups at least twice per week. It has been proven that even light activity such as yoga can improve heart health.
Being physically active has many benefits: improved blood pressure, blood glucose levels, HDL cholesterol levels, increased mitochondrial function and even the release of proteins that directly improve heart health. By engaging in these simple measures, we can strive to improve our cardiovascular health and hopefully decrease the prevalence of CVD in our communities across the country. My personal experience has been that once I started exercising regularly, both aerobic and strength training, I feel healthier, happier and more energized.
Here are some small things you can do to incrementally improve your cardiovascular health:
- While watching TV, hold light weights and march in place
- During commercial breaks, do 10 crunches
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator when possible
