Page 5 - Go Red For Women 2017

5 Heart healthy habits Signs of stress that
H eart disease and
stroke cause one
in three deaths
among women
each year, killing approxi-
mately one woman every 80
seconds.
While there are many
risk factors involved that are losing five to 10 percent of
beyond one’s control, a
healthy lifestyle can make a
big difference.
Even small changes can
add up, says Nidhi Mehta,
M.D., a cardiologist with
LVPG Cardiology at the
Muhlenberg campus of
Lehigh Valley Health Net-
work.
“If you park in a parking
lot, park farther out,” she
said “Exercise doesn’t have
to be walking ... Just get out a day.
and get your heart rate up,
that’s all we’re wanting
your to do.”
Here are five healthy
habits that can reduce your
risk for illness.
? Move about: Exercise
doesn’t have to be daunting!
Aim for 10-minute sessions,
three times daily. Movement
sets your metabolism in mo-
tion, so make sure it’s a con- and they have to eat the rest to improve your health and
sistent part of your life.
“If you can even do 15
minutes of exercise, your
risk of heart disease goes
down,” Dr. Mehta said. “We
all have very busy lives and
trying to make time for this
can be challenging.”
? Get sleep: Sleeping
fewer than seven hours a
night can make you gain
weight and have more trou-
ble taking it off, according
to Columbia University
research. Another study
found that people who get
enough sleep have a 5 per-
cent higher metabolism
than people who don’t. That
means more calories burned
while you’re sleeping.
Doesn’t get much easier
than that.
? Eat small and well:
“Studies have found that
A low-fat diet can help keep weight off and is part of a heart-healthy
lifestyle.
your body weight can lower
the risk of a heart attack,”
says Dawn Zier, CEO of
Nutrisystem and the 2017
Go Red for Women Cam-
paign Chair in Philadelphia.
Research suggests that
eating smaller, balanced
meals throughout the day
promotes greater weight
loss and maintenance, and
can also be good for your
heart. Schedule meals every
two to three hours, six times the water.
If you have children,
teach them early about the
food pyramid and eating
healthy.
“The key thing is learn-
ing moderation from a food
standpoint,” Mehta said. “If
they want a piece of candy,
that’s OK, but they have to
understand they have to eat
their fruits and vegetables
of their food.”
? Rise, shine, drink
water. You’ll burn more
calories all day: A German
study found that drinking
must be addressed
I f you feel out of sorts,
it may be your body
Metro Creative Connection trying to deal with
stress.
“Everyone reacts to
stress differently,” said
Interventional Cardiologist
48 ounces (about six cups) Harnish Chawla, M.D., an
of cold water increased independent staff member
calorie burn at rest by up to of Easton Hospital. “Ev-
50 calories per day. This eryone has stress in their
alone could melt a pound in life; some of it is positive
a little more than two and some is negative.”
months. And drinking it
before meals could give you However, if the stress is aches and pains might be
an added bonus, as a Vir- impacting your daily life,
ginia Tech study found that it could be time to seek
dieters who drank two, professional help. Stress
eight-ounce glasses of water can cause havoc on the
before meals for 12 weeks body by raising blood
lost 36 percent more weight pressure and increasing
than those who didn’t down heart rate, among other
things.
? Put your phone Chawla said panic at-
away: Checking your email tacks can mimic a heart
in the morning will just attack, with heart palpita-
stress you out. Many pro- tions and shortness of
ductivity experts recom- breath. “If tests come back
mend waiting at least an normal, ultimately it’s just lems, including stress. This
hour once you get to work stress.”
before checking your inbox,
so you can tackle your most “If you are having other
important priorities calmly symptoms and it’s impact-
without getting distracted. ing your health, seek help,” to release hormones that
he said.
Be proactive. Take steps
The American Institute
reduce your risk for serious of Stress notes that various
illness. disorders, both emotional
and physical, have been
StatePoint contributed to linked to stress. Such dis-
this report. orders include depression,
stroke, hypertension, and
anxiety, among others. In
its 2015 Stress in America
survey, the American Psy-
chological Association
found that money, stress
and family responsibilities
are the three most common
stressors. While the symp-
toms of stress are uncom-
fortable and potentially
very dangerous, the APA
notes that such indicators
also serve as a warning
from the body that it needs
maintenance and extra
care. The following are
Stress is a part of
life, but when it
dominates daily
activities, it’s time
to get help.
some of the ways the body
might be telling adults to
step back and make an
effort to relieve stress.
? Headaches, muscle
tension, neck or back
pain: Some headaches or
mere nuisances or indica-
tive of issues unrelated to
stress. But when such
symptoms are accompa-
nied by stress, this could
be the body’s way of alert-
ing men and women that
the stress is approaching
unhealthy levels.
? Chest pains and/or
rapid heartbeat: Chest
pains and rapid heartbeat
may indicate various prob-
happens when the body is
stressed because stress
causes the nervous system
to signal the adrenal glands is diarrhea or constipation.
make the heart beat faster
and increase blood pres-
sure.
? Difficulty falling or
staying asleep: Men and
women who are feeling
stressed out and also expe-
riencing difficulty falling
asleep or staying asleep
should consult their physi-
cians about ways to allevi-
ate that stress.
? Increased frequency
of colds: Stress can attack
Metro Creative Connection
the body’s immune system, SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF THE MORNING CALL
making it increasingly
vulnerable to colds. The
AIS notes that a weakened
immune system also makes
the body more susceptible SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2017
to additional viral disor-
ders, including herpes, and 5
autoimmune diseases such
as rheumatoid arthritis and
multiple sclerosis.
? Loss of appetite or
overeating: Stress can
affect the gastrointestinal
system in various ways,
including influencing
appetite. While not all
problems with appetite are
indicative of a body that is
overstressed, stress can
prompt some people to eat
much more than they nor-
mally do, while others may
eat considerably less than
they normally would.
? Diarrhea or consti-
pation: Another indicator
that stress is compromising
the gastrointestinal system
Again, while these prob-
lems are not exclusive to
sufferers of stress, when a
person is under stress, this
can affect which nutrients
the body can successfully
absorb and how quickly
food is metabolized.
Metro Creative Connec-
tion contributed to this re-
port.