Heart disease is the number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer. Many women are either unaware of their symptoms or they are thought to be something else. For instance, pain in your back or jaw may not just be work related stress. By not recognizing the symptoms or understanding the risk, heart disease is much more common than it needs to be. 90% of women have 1 or more risk factors for developing heart disease. Here’s what you need to know about the causes of heart disease and how you can prevent it.
Heart disease affects the blood vessels and the cardiovascular system. Atherosclerosis, the condition that develops when plaque builds up in the arteries, narrows the arteries making it harder for blood to flow through. This can lead to serious problems including a heart attack or stroke.
High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol and smoking are 3 risk factors for heart disease and about half of all Americans have one of these risk factors. Several other conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk including diabetes, being overweight, having a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
To reduce your risk of heart disease, it is important to get checked by your healthcare provider. Know your blood pressure, talk to your doctor about your cholesterol and find out if you should be tested for diabetes.
Make healthy food choices. Eating low saturated fat, low cholesterol foods can help manage your blood cholesterol levels.
Stay active. Spend at least 150 minutes per week doing moderate intensity level aerobic exercise-maybe walking or swimming- and more than 2 days per week of strength training.
Lower your stress level. Find healthy ways to cope with stress such as taking some time to relax. Get adequate sleep. Work out!
Studies have shown that making these healthy lifestyle changes have resulted in 330 fewer women dying from heart disease per day.
If you would like to have a health and fitness professional help you figure out your risks and develop a plan to decrease them get in touch with us!
Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease Now!
References:
1. “About Heart Disease In Women.” Accessed on 25 February 2015. American Heart Association https://www.goredforwomen.org/home/about-heart-disease-in-women/
2. “Women and Heart Disease Fact Sheet.” Accessed on 25 February 2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_women_heart.htm
3. “What is Atherosclerosis? “ Accessed on 25 February 2015. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atherosclerosis
4. Image courtesy of tigger11th at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
