world heart day

Preface: World Heart day was actually on September 29th, but I unfortunately could not get a blog post up in time.  But better late then never, eh?

Heart disease is America's number killer of both women and men.   Although there really is no guaranteeing way to keep from getting heart disease now or later on in life there are things that you can do to lessen the chances of it happening. Also be reminded that there are some contributing factors that can lead to heart disease that you simply can not change, like family history, personal medical history, race, sex (men are at a higher risk than women), and age.

The most important thing is simple: start now!  This isn't something that you should push off to next week, or next month. It is definitely not something that you should keep pushing off if are someone who tends to do that.  There is no better time to start than now, it could save your life.

Exercise that body of yours!  It's been proven that exercise can help lower the bad cholesterol that can lead to heart disease.  I'm not saying to dive into a high intensity work out schedule, but starting slowly and keeping persistent can help more than you think it will.  Exercising doesn't necessarily even mean "working out", you could take the dog out for a long walk, as long as you're getting physical activity in and keeping that body of yours going you'll be on the right track.

Eat healthy!  I hope that eating healthy is something that you do already, but if it isn't, you might want to start eating more healthy meals including organic foods.  Try staying away from those fast food restaurants and reconsider all the canned food you might be eating.  Treat yourself to some dark chocolate every now and then, it's been said to help decrease the risk of heart disease.

I encourage all of my readers to get informed, do some researching, talk to family members and see if there are any high risks.  If you ever have health questions, contact your health care provider and ASK, never be afraid of asking questions, even if you're not sure.

I am by no means someone who knows an exceedingly large amount about heart disease, I'm a seventeen year old girl who has done some research and has found information out through family members who have had heart problems in the past.  Do with this information what you will, but I'm just trying to spread the word and get people informed.

For more information about heart disease check out these links:
World Heart Foundation
Steps to Help Prevent Heart Disease
American Heart Association