HEART HEALTH: Exercise or Diet ?

HEART HEALTH: Exercise or Diet ?

Recently, a groundbreaking study and documentary were released comparing the use of exercise vs dietary measures to promote and maintain optimum heart health.

Heart attack and related circulatory diseases still remain one of the #1 silent killers in North America. Besides the obvious external cosmetic signs of a challenged heart and the need for fat reduction, what can one do to assure themself their ticker's in tip top shape ?

The outcome of the study was that it was in fact heart elasticity that indicated one's susceptibility to heart disease.

That is, the ability for the heart muscle and arteries to expand with increases in blood pressure, heart rate, stroke volume, etc.

The trainers all cried do your cardio
The nutritionists rallied to fish oils
MD's in large maintained the aspirin a day to prevent thrombosis, and of course
Yoga practitioners and the like deemed planned relaxation/ meditation the answer

Truth be told, as in most cases, it was the sum of all good things that created a great result.

The heart responded with improved elasticity when forced to work harder, as in resistance training as well as for prolonged periods as in cardiovascular work.
Barring pre-existing conditions, a clean bill of health usually allows for the standard 20 minutes, 3x/week at a heart rate of ((220-age) x 60-80%)).

Of all the nutritional supplements on the market, by far, prudent use of the fish oils for their EPA/DHA content, as well as nut and seed oils for their monounsaturates, were shown to promote the strongest levels of circulatory elasticity.
That said, you're only as strong as your weakest link, so judicious use of an antioxidant rich Greens formula and the obvious avoidance of trans fats for their near instant artery hardening effect are equally important.

Yes, 2 drinks/day ( and only two !) were also shown to be cardioprotective in mechanism, so enjoy your wine or beer in moderation and good health.

Even without a family history of risk, the medical community has maintained the daily use of a simple baby aspirin effective at preventing the unwanted stroke causing clot. It creates a more slippery arterial wall if you will. More is not better, so don't go past this dosage. In conjunction with the diet and exercise practices mentioned, you're well on your way to maximal heart health.

Finally, the relaxation response. It's not stress itself but rather how we react to stress that can create a dangerous internal climate. People with consistently elevated cortisol levels (the stress hormone), tend to store "heart attack fat" or possess that beer belly look. It's not that the fat is there so much as what it indicates in stress hormones that we should worry about.

There's a myriad of topics to cover in regards to managing stress. The way a Personal Trainer aids you with correct diet and exercise choices, a Life Coach can do the same in making objective baby steps to achieving your needs and goals in a most manageable way.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy will alert you to your reactive patterns and their roots to stressful situations and help you create new response patterns.
FEELING GOOD by David Burns, MD is an excellent best seller in this regard.
Signing up for scheduled Yoga, Meditation or Personal Training sessions ensures you have planned outlets for stress release.

Cortisol mitigation can also come from nutritional aids such as phosphatidyl serine, adaptogens such as Rhodiola, Ginseng and Ashwghanda as well as promoters of deep REM sleep such as Magnesium, Melatonin and Valerian.

My strongest advice in this realm is to proceed with the guidance of an ND or licensed wholistic practitioner able to address your big picture.

The take home message here is an elastic, resilient circulatory system is yours when you address the big picture. Focusing on one aspect at the expense of others can make for a very unbalanced body- and we don't work that way.

Coach in your corner always
Mike