save your heart!

Photo by: Yasuhide Fumoto/Getty Images

I was reading Woman's Day yesterday and came across a health article on heart disease. It gave 6 risk factors:

1) your mom or dad had a heart attack 70%-340%
2) you spend most of the day sitting down 50%-100%
3) you're overscheduled and overwhelmed 40%
4) you're tired all the time 45%
5) you had pregnancy complications 100%
6) you spend a lot of time around smokers 25%-30%

 According to the above risk factors my risk is 120%-440% a) because my dad had a heart attack and b) i spend most of the day sitting down. Also I have high cholesterol so that raises my risk 72%. It gave 6 ways to lower your risk:

1) don't smoke - never been an issue for me
2) get your daily 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity
3) add 20 minutes of strength training at least twice a week
4) eat Mediterranean-style. Stick to a diet mostly plant-based (try to do this)
5) keep salt levels low
6) manage stress

Exercise has always been important to me. I've been active my whole life and try to exercise consistently. I must say though, after seeing my high risk that exercise takes on a whole new meaning. Doing it to lose weight, build muscle, or feel good are all great reasons, but it makes it a lot easier to do knowing I could be saving my life. The article states that 90% of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease. But many don't know it. I'm hoping this has opened your eyes and will make you keep better tabs on your heart.

Here are some helpful online tools recommended by the experts at The Heart Truth.

-estimate your heart attack risk: hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp
-track your family history: familyhistory.hhs.gov
-record your health stats: heart360.org
-know what you're eating: choosemyplate.gov/supertracker