Cheating Death Community

Women, Heart Disease, and Dieting

Heart Disease, or Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), is the leading cause of death among American women today, and obesity seems to be a primary culprit. The symptoms of CAD should not be taken lightly. While many women experience chest pain, one study showed that less than a third of women experienced chest pain, while symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, indigestion, and nausea were prevalent. Women are often misdiagnosed because symptoms imitate acid reflux, gall bladder problems, and even tennis elbow. None of these symptoms should be overlooked, especially chest pains.
The way to help prevent heart disease is to be active and eat right. Many diets are dangerous, and putting crazy restrictions on what you eat can also be harmful. Dieting is not the best idea in the world. Diets are usually temporary. The person stops eating the food she loves, and when she reaches her goal, she starts overeating and puts the weight back on. Another reason diets aren’t a good idea is because they don’t include a workout routine. Dieting without an exercise program can be harmful because the two should work together so you can remain at a healthy weight. Being slim isn’t necessarily the answer either. Some slim people are too slim and thus unhealthy. Many women, who are already at a healthy weight, may get desperate to be thin and then under eat. Not eating can be dangerous also.
Making gradual lifestyle changes produces the healthiest results. One way is to start eating healthy. Many weight loss gurus today say start slowly, eat the things you love in smaller portions throughout the day. Make a single change and be more concerned about your overall health than about how fast you’re going to lose the weight. Most people think they’re going to see a change overnight, and it’s just not so. Secondly, rev up your engines and move. Activity burns calories. Walk to work, take the elevator, and above all start an exercise program you think you’ll enjoy. There is no shortage of these either. Finally, think positively. You feel the way you think of yourself, and you can think your heart to death. All the positive thinkers I’ve heard insist that you have to think of yourself as being something before you can attain the goal. So if you want to achieve a healthy weight and avert disaster, encourage yourself to eat smarter and exercise.
Keeping a check on one’s cholesterol is a key factor in being heart healthy. There are two kinds of cholesterol: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is called the ”good” cholesterol because it keeps cholesterol from accumulating between artery walls. The more HDL, the better. A score of 60 mg/dl or higher helps keep the heart healthy, while a score of 40 mg/dl puts your heart at risk for heart disease. However, risk increases with a high score on total cholesterol. A score of 240 mg/dl or higher puts your heart at greater risk than, say, someone whose total cholesterol is 200 mg/dl. A score of less than200 mg/dl means the risk for heart disease is not as great.