Un-break Your Heart
Picture this: you're watching the latest episode of that popular television drama about a team of young, brilliant doctors working in an urban hospital. In the first scene, you see a character who is out for a morning jog when the star doctor stops, dramatically grab a sweaty arm while gasping for air, hunches over, and then falls to the ground.
Another young doctor happens to be jogging along the same path and rushes over. It looks like a heart attack. Oh, no!
Cue the opening music.
Who did you picture when the doctor had a heart attack—a man or a woman? On TV and in the movies, we often see cardiovascular disease depicted as an issue for men or the elderly. However, the American Heart Association reports that heart disease is still the leading killer for women. Approximately one woman dies every 80 seconds from the condition.
One reason is that as women mature, their estrogen levels decrease. After menopause, blood pressure, iron levels and "bad" cholesterol (LDL) levels can increase, causing cardiovascular disease. The risk of heart disease also increases for those with hormone disorders, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which raises heart-related risks such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
While you may know the connection between hormones and the heart, you may not realize that female smokers' risk of heart attack is also twice that of men who light up. While it's unclear why women are affected more, the good news is that heart attack risk drops dramatically within the first year a person quits smoking.
So what can you do to improve your heart health?
Eat better.
Cut down on saturated fats (7% or less of your calories) and sodium (less than 1,500 mg per day). Eat fruits, leafy vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans and fish with Omega-3 fatty acids.
Get moving.
The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. Exercising not only improves blood circulation, cholesterol levels and blood pressure but also can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease risk for women by 30% to 40%.
Limit alcohol use.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends no more than one drink per day for women. Serving sizes should be 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor.
Stop stressing.
Take up yoga, meditation, journaling or speaking with a therapist. Make time for friends and family, laugh more and know the limits you can take on. It's okay to say "no" now and then and maybe more often than you think.
February is the month of love, and that includes loving yourself and your heart.
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Not sure what condition your heart is in? Talk to your doctor about your cardiovascular risks.
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