The Three Magic Bullets for a Healthy Heart

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a chance to get out there and spread some love. 

Last week we covered food. I get asked so often if there's something natural people can take to fix the cholesterol or the insulin resistance or the blood pressure. Today we'll go over the three magic bullets to keep your heart healthy. Unfortunately, you have to do some work and they don't come in pill form. Hey, why not stand up while you're reading this? 

1. Stress less.
We have two modes of our nervous system. Our sympathetic mode is our fight-or-flight response when cortisol production ramps up, adrenaline gets going, blood pressure increases, blood sugar increases, and we're prepped for fighting or running for our lives. Except these days, we're fighting traffic, deadlines, grocery lines, etc. This leaves our parasympathetic system (aka your rest-and-digest response) struggling to get your body repaired and fuelled properly. It's hard to repair all of that vascular damage from consistent high blood pressure when, well, you don't get a good change to repair it. 

Signs you're over-stressed: you're reaching for coffee when you're tired, you're reaching for the sleeping pills because you can't sleep, you're slathering the cortisone cream on your eczema, you have IBS, your hair is falling out, your periods are wonky, you're having a smoke at any time... to name just a few. 

Breathe. Don't sweat the small stuff. Practice gratitude. Leave earlier. Ask for help. Quit smoking. 
Sloooooowwww doooowwwnnn.

2. Eat well. Not sugar. 
Sugar, especially fructose, gets metabolized into the bad cholesterol in your liver. This clogs arteries. Sugar is pro-inflammatory. This oxidizes cholesterol in your arteries. This creates a perfect storm for a heart attack and some really bad times. These clogs also create a perfect storm to throw a clot out into your circulation and cause a stroke. Again, really bad times. 

Eat whole, real food. Can you pronounce that ingredient? Is it from a package? Will it go bad? Ask yourself all of these questions when prepping for meals. I get it - you're busy. You're tired. It's been a long day. That's okay. Please know that there are really easy swaps and excellent, tasty choices out there to keep you risk for heart disease low, you just need to know where to look for them. Talk to a nutritionist or a licensed ND about what easy swaps you can make. You don't need to overhaul anything. If you'd like a place to start, eat more fibre by adding an extra 2 servings of fruit or veggies each day.

3. Move your body. 
Sedentary lifestyles put you at a high risk for cardiovascular problems. Set an alarm in your phone to do a lap or two around your office every hour. Get exercising. It doesn't have to be running an hour a day - do something slow and relaxing if you're predisposed to anxiety or stress. Yoga is just as effective as other exercise for reducing cardiovascular risk. Get out the door, walk for 10 minutes, then turn around and come back. Get some buddies on your team and do it together. The point is you just need to move your body. 

Did you stand up while you read this? High five to you! 

I know these seem quite obvious and we've all heard them a thousand times. Unfortunately, there's no lazy way around these 3 magic bullets, but they are proven to work again and again. Now get out there, take some deep breaths, grab an apple, and move! 

References:
Yang Q, Zhang Z, Gregg EW, Flanders WD, Merritt R, Hu FB. Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):516-524.


Xiao Q, Keadle SK, Hollenbeck AR, Matthews CE. Sleep duration and total and cause-specific mortality in a large US cohort: interrelationships with physical activity, sedentary behavior, and body mass index. Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Nov 15;180(10):997-1006.

Xiao Q, Keadle SK, Hollenbeck AR, Matthews CE. Sleep duration and total and cause-specific mortality in a large US cohort: interrelationships with physical activity, sedentary behavior, and body mass index. Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Nov 15;180(10):997-1006.

Chu P, Gotink RA, Yeh GY, Goldie SJ, Hunink MM. The effectiveness of yoga in modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2014 Dec 15.

Eaton RJ, Bradley G, Morrissey S. Positive predispositions, quality of life and chronic illness. Psychol Health Med. 2014;19(4):473-89.

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