Heart: Healthy Performance

HEART/CARDIO-VASCULAR

Are you doing all you can to keep your heart healthy?

Heart disease affects men and women, but heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States. One in 4 women in the US dies from heart disease, while 1 in 30 die due to breast cancer.

We also know that two-thirds of women who have a heart attack fail to make a full recovery.

Heart disease is also referred to as coronary artery disease. When arteries become narrowed and hardened due to a buildup of plaque, blood supply to the heart muscle is compromised. Plaque is a result of the deposit of cholesterol, fat and other substances in the arteries, especially those that supply the heart muscle itself.

When an artery becomes blocked, nutrients and oxygen are unable to supply the heart, and a heart attack can result.

There are several risk factors for the development of heart disease—some can be altered or modified, while others cannot.

Those risk factors that cannot be modified are: age, gender, race and heredity or a family history of heart disease.

Other risk factors can be altered or modified. These include:

High Cholesterol
High LDL (bad cholesterol)
Low HDL (good cholesterol)
High Triglycerides
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
High Blood Sugar
Alcohol Consumption
Cigarette Smoking
Excessive Weight
Symptoms of heart disease are also considered risk factors.

Your risk for heart disease is considered to be greater if you have 2 or more risk factors.

We cannot change the non-modifiable risk factors, but we can reduce or eliminate those risk factors that are able to be modified.

The risk factor we want to focus on first—and the most—is weight—since being overweight or obese can increase the other modifiable risk factors for heart disease.

In order to decrease cardiovascular disease, the American Heart Association recommends that people adopt an overall healthy diet and achieve and maintain an appropriate body weight, cholesterol level and blood pressure.

Eating healthy foods and decreasing excess weight get us on the road to heart health.

In becoming a Healthy Performance client you’re well on the way to reducing your weight and reducing your risks for developing heart disease. If you don’t need to lose weight but have other risk factors for heart disease, Healthy Performance has several products to help you reduce your risks.