February is all about having a Heart. Nearly 50 years ago February was designated "American Heart Month" by an act of Congress; while over 1,700 years ago, so the story goes, the kindly Bishop Valentine defied the then Roman Emperor's ban on marriage and was martyred on February 14th around 270 A.D. thus giving birth to Valentines Day. The long and short of February; this is the month to address matters of the heart. So I'll cut to the chase, how healthy is your heart?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and most Americans are not physically active enough. AHA and the American College of Sports Medicine both recommend that all adults (ages 18 and up) should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days per week to gain any health benefits. It is really a lot easier than you think when you incorporate a couple of these tips and suggestions into your daily routine.
• Exercise can be as simple as walking if you are just beginning a fitness routine - start slowly and always listen to your body
• Progress from walking to an easy jog or hills if you are outside
• In the gym be sure to vary the cardio equipment you use
• A great way to really increase the intensity of your cardio workout is to incorporate plyometric training or short bursts of high intensity training, try Jumping Jacks, Lunge Jumps, Bench or Box Jumps
• Remember to incorporate both strength training and cardio to get the best possible results and to keep your heart healthy year round
• Other things that you can do to keep your heart healthy include; monitoring your blood pressure, keeping your cholesterol & blood sugar in check and of course eating healthy
For the more romantic matters of the heart we have Valentine's Day. Gifts to ones sweetheart such as chocolate, flowers or cards became popular in Victorian times and remain so today. A gift of chocolate on Valentine's Day not only says "I love you," but now research shows that it may have real heart healthy benefits! In fact studies have shown that it contains antioxidants & flavonoids that help to lower blood pressure & bad cholesterol. Plus dark chocolate also contains serotonin, a natural mood-boosting anti-depressant and it stimulates pleasure-inducing endorphin production. To be considered true dark chocolate it must be made of at least 65% cacao. European chocolates typically contain the highest amount of the beneficial flavonoids. Even with all the health benefits of dark chocolate - remember, all things in moderation. Just so you know here are some nutritional facts.
• 5 Dove dark chocolate pieces (40 g): 210 calories, 13 g fat
• 4 Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares (43 g): 220 calories, 17 g fat
• Lindt Excellence dark chocolate (40 g portion): 220 calories, 17 g fat
Keep your heart healthy this February and all year long!
Be Fit, Be Healthy, Be Happy!
For more information and guidance about health and fitness issues, visit http://tanyastroh.wordpress.com/ Tanya specializes in helping people achieve optimal health with a highly individualized approach to fitness exercise.
Tanya Stroh is a nationally certified personal trainer and founder and creator of Tanya Stroh Training solutions, your online Personal Trainer. With over 500 unique exercises, and counting, our proprietary software, TS Trax, creates a fitness exercise plan specifically for your goals, your level of fitness, at home or at the gym with the equipment you have and like to use. With Tanya Stroh training Solutions you can stop guessing about how to achieve your fitness goals and enjoy faster results with no plateau. Be fit, be healthy, and be happy with http://www.tanyastroh.com.
By Tanya_Stroh
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and most Americans are not physically active enough. AHA and the American College of Sports Medicine both recommend that all adults (ages 18 and up) should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days per week to gain any health benefits. It is really a lot easier than you think when you incorporate a couple of these tips and suggestions into your daily routine.
• Exercise can be as simple as walking if you are just beginning a fitness routine - start slowly and always listen to your body
• Progress from walking to an easy jog or hills if you are outside
• In the gym be sure to vary the cardio equipment you use
• A great way to really increase the intensity of your cardio workout is to incorporate plyometric training or short bursts of high intensity training, try Jumping Jacks, Lunge Jumps, Bench or Box Jumps
• Remember to incorporate both strength training and cardio to get the best possible results and to keep your heart healthy year round
• Other things that you can do to keep your heart healthy include; monitoring your blood pressure, keeping your cholesterol & blood sugar in check and of course eating healthy
For the more romantic matters of the heart we have Valentine's Day. Gifts to ones sweetheart such as chocolate, flowers or cards became popular in Victorian times and remain so today. A gift of chocolate on Valentine's Day not only says "I love you," but now research shows that it may have real heart healthy benefits! In fact studies have shown that it contains antioxidants & flavonoids that help to lower blood pressure & bad cholesterol. Plus dark chocolate also contains serotonin, a natural mood-boosting anti-depressant and it stimulates pleasure-inducing endorphin production. To be considered true dark chocolate it must be made of at least 65% cacao. European chocolates typically contain the highest amount of the beneficial flavonoids. Even with all the health benefits of dark chocolate - remember, all things in moderation. Just so you know here are some nutritional facts.
• 5 Dove dark chocolate pieces (40 g): 210 calories, 13 g fat
• 4 Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares (43 g): 220 calories, 17 g fat
• Lindt Excellence dark chocolate (40 g portion): 220 calories, 17 g fat
Keep your heart healthy this February and all year long!
Be Fit, Be Healthy, Be Happy!
For more information and guidance about health and fitness issues, visit http://tanyastroh.wordpress.com/ Tanya specializes in helping people achieve optimal health with a highly individualized approach to fitness exercise.
Tanya Stroh is a nationally certified personal trainer and founder and creator of Tanya Stroh Training solutions, your online Personal Trainer. With over 500 unique exercises, and counting, our proprietary software, TS Trax, creates a fitness exercise plan specifically for your goals, your level of fitness, at home or at the gym with the equipment you have and like to use. With Tanya Stroh training Solutions you can stop guessing about how to achieve your fitness goals and enjoy faster results with no plateau. Be fit, be healthy, and be happy with http://www.tanyastroh.com.
By Tanya_Stroh
1 comments:
This is really informative as well as an interesting post to read. Those are things that everyone should definitely keep in mind to keep our heart healthy.
Krisha | cardiology emr
Post a Comment