Sharing w/others – lessons learned

Decades of progress in the United States on cutting cholesterol, blood pressure and smoking are being stalled by rising obesity rates, and heart disease will kill around 400,000 Americans this year. A study found that around half of those deaths could be averted if people ate healthier food and quit smoking. Two-thirds of U.S. adults […]

The American Heart Association has, for the first time, identified seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors its research indicates are necessary to keep your heart in good shape.

The AHA says ideal cardiovascular health for adults is defined by these health measures:

1. Never smoked or quit more than a year ago
2. A healthy body mass index (BMI)
3. Physical activity, and the more the better
4. Blood pressure below 120/80.
5. Fasting blood glucose less than 100 milligrams/deciliter
6. Total cholesterol of less than 200 milligrams/deciliter
7. Eating a healthy diet

The AHA hopes the seven factors could improve the cardiovascular health of Americans by 20 percent by the year 2020, and also reduce deaths from cardiovascular-related diseases and strokes by 20 percent. PostID=241058″

Researchers have discovered that every hour per day spent watching television increases your chance of dying from heart disease by one-fifth. A sedentary lifestyle can of course lead to disastrous health problems, but this new study shows even the most physically fit are at risk for heart disease when they spend a good amount of […]

Almost nine in 10 people are not aware of the risks of carrying extra fat around their waistline. A survey of 12,000 Europeans found most had no idea that a thick waist was a sign of a build-up of a dangerous type of fat around the internal organs. This “visceral fat” is strongly linked with […]

Regular workouts may help fight off colds and flu, reduce the risk of certain cancers and chronic diseases, and slow the process of aging. A growing body of research is showing that regular exercise can boost your body’s immune system, increasing the circulation of natural killer cells that fight off viruses and bacteria. Regular exercise […]

Just three months of physical activity reaps heart health benefits for older adults with type 2 diabetes by improving the elasticity in their arteries, reducing risk of heart disease and stroke. According to a study, physical activity led to a 15 to 20 percent improvement in the elasticity of arteries. Subjects were divided into two […]