| -> | | | | physical activity. If you're someone who hasn't been |
| Your heart is important. You know this is true. Without | | | | doing much, don't overdo it in the beginning. |
| our hearts we wouldn't be here. Our hearts beat | | | | Start very slowly. Keep it simple. Choose to take the |
| thousands of times a day pumping blood throughout | | | | stairs more instead of the elevator. Don't always park |
| our bodies nourishing us, sustaining us. | | | | in the closest parking stall. Make the choice to walk |
| We rely on our physical hearts. Yet, many people don't | | | | 20-30 yards every time to go somewhere. If you |
| pay enough attention to their heart health. A recent | | | | watch television, during commercials move out of your |
| report from the American Heart Association has | | | | chair do some easy calisthenics. It doesn't have to be |
| shown that heart disease is still the number one killer in | | | | anything outstanding, just some gentle activity. It's |
| America. Last year nearly a million people died | | | | frequently the little things that we do consistently that |
| because of cardiovascular disease. Women are also | | | | are most important. |
| at risk. One out of every five women die because of | | | | Decide to move more. Put this thought into your head |
| heart disease and heart illness. Its clear that women's | | | | and you'll be amazed at the ways you can put more |
| health issues should include a focus on the heart. | | | | movement into your life. Following these simple steps |
| So if we know that our hearts are important we | | | | can make a difference in your life. |
| should begin taking strides to take care of our heart | | | | 3. Spent 15 minutes a day on your emotional heart |
| health. It doesn't have to be overwhelming. We can | | | | health. |
| begin the process with some very simple steps. | | | | Its been well documented that our emotions influence |
| 1. Begin choosing to eat less saturated fat. | | | | our heart health. Negative emotions: fear, anger, |
| One very simple why to begin working on our heart | | | | sadness, frustration, depression, anxiety, and just plain |
| health is to just cut back on our consumption of | | | | old stress- can have a harmful effect on our bodies. |
| saturated fat. Saturated fat is the fat that comes from | | | | They can create heart disease. |
| animal products. It has been shown to be a direct | | | | Most people don't have a daily program for reducing |
| cause of coronary heart disease. The main sources of | | | | the stress and negative emotions in their life. I |
| saturated fat are beef, most pork, and the dark meat | | | | consistently talk to the heart patients who I see in the |
| from chicken. Eating these foods puts 40% saturated | | | | office and its only 1/10 that engage in any daily form of |
| fat into your body. By comparison, the white meat of | | | | stress reduction. |
| chicken has 20% saturated fat. | | | | An easy way to reduce the stress in your life is to sit |
| People often ask me about deer, buffalo, or venison. | | | | quietly for 15 minutes and just breath deeply. Force |
| They want to know if they are healthier? | | | | yourself to take a deep breath in and blow it out. Do |
| Unfortunately, reports by the U.S. Department of | | | | this for about 10 breaths and then just sit quietly and |
| Agriculture show that these dark meats also contain | | | | be aware of your breathing. |
| 40% saturated fat. So them may be better than eating | | | | Many other simple forms of stress reduction are |
| bacon, but they still contain a large amount of fat. | | | | available. Yoga, tai chi, sitting meditation, Sufi prayer, |
| Other foods that contain saturated fat include dairy | | | | biofeedback, and TM- are just a few. What's important |
| products. Fortunately, most products now list the | | | | is to find a method that you feel gives you comfort |
| amount of saturated fat that they contain. | | | | and then do it. Spend 15 minutes every day defusing |
| So if you want to improve your heart health begin | | | | your stress. |
| making the decision to put less saturated fat into your | | | | What's certain is that heart disease is preventable. |
| body. | | | | Countless medical studies have shown this to be true. |
| 2. Choose to move more. | | | | You can make the choice to live a life free from heart |
| It seems like such a simple concept. We need to | | | | disease. |
| move to keep our hearts healthy, but you'd be | | | | If you value your heart why not make the effort to live |
| amazed at the number of people who do almost no | | | | a life free from heart disease? |