Saturday, August 20, 2011

Women’s Heart Disease Prevention Guide

Life could get quite convoluted in the 30’s with burgeoning career and family responsibilities. Trying to successfully balance job and family life could often take its toll on a woman which ups stress levels that raise women’s heart disease risk. The duo key stress hormones namely adrenaline and cortisol could have a constricting action on the blood vessels which leads to a surge in blood pressure and leaves vessels susceptible to blockage. Moreover, there is a greater likelihood of weight gain during thirties that could put strain on the heart because of a slackening body metabolism. Also, it could be a challenge trying to merge exercising into daily schedules. The greater levels of stress could additionally hamper sleep which is another heart disease risk factor.

The following strategies could be adopted into daily existence to prevent women’s heart disease.
Try Decompressing

Although it would not often be possible to modify stressors, but the manner of reacting to them could definitely be modified to prevent heart disease risk. Learning to be more relaxed makes the body more adroit at controlling levels of stress hormones. Women need to decipher their own respite zone like meditation, aerobics workout, massages, manicures/pedicures or yoga for de-stressing the mind and body. Those women having their hands full with little tots could attempt a soothing hobby while at home like knit or maintaining a diary for relieving stress.
Tone up some muscles

Women’s heart diseaseWomen not already into weight training regime could get started sooner than later as it would assist in maintaining and boosting proportion of lean body mass thus keeping body metabolism revved up and thwarting weight increase from slyly occurring. Women who are novices to the weight training room could seek assistance from personal trainers for tailored guidance to derive maximal benefits. Resistance training sessions could also be taken up at the locally placed gym or opting for home-workout videos to be done two times per week for an hour’s time.
Playing around with the kiddie brigade

Even a small level of activity done would count in losing and maintaining weight. A Harvard research observed that individuals who had a weight pile up of as small as eleven pounds considerably raised risk of developing coronary heart disease. Body weight could be easily maintained by doing some form of physical activity on a daily basis. Even long buggy walks count as light-resistance training that aids in muscle-building. Choosing a parking area slightly farther away from the intended shopping destination and walking it up, carrying bags is also weight-training. Taking your pet for every day strolls and joining the tots for a game of freeze-tagging at the playground are other great options.
Getting Ample Sleep

Lesser than 5 hours of sleep during the night puts a person at a thirty-nine percent risk of developing heart disease. Ensuring to get around 6-8 hours daily sleep and maintaining a fixed time for sleeping and waking up each day. According to recommendation by the National Sleep Foundation, an unwinding sleep time ritual should ideally be adopted such as taking tepid water baths, read or listen to relaxing music would assist in eliciting sweet slumber sooner. In case young kids are disrupting night time sleep cycle, then taking naps according to when they sleep. Skipping alcoholic drinks as it firstly pulls you off your feet but later on could disrupt mid-cycle snooze.
Keeping away from the three White Evils

Though total ban on intake of sugars, sodium and refined flour is not necessary yet limiting consumption could help in maintaining optimal arterial health. Food items rich in sugars, less in fiber like pastry, cookie and biscuit could be contributory to weight increase, raising triglyceride and bad cholesterol levels. Furthermore, the greater the sodium intake in daily diet, more the blood pressure level. According to American Heart Association, everyday salt consumption should be kept at below 2300 mgms.
Re-pondering over Contraceptive Choices

Women with hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels or family case history of the disease should re-mull over the use of hormonal birth control options like pill and patches. Although these do not raise women’s heart disease risk on their own, yet they could aggravate risk factors previously present. Women smokers should quit as soon as possible and discuss with their obstetrician regarding any hormone-free birth control options such as diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges or intra-uterine devices would be a safer bet.

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