Exercise for a healthy heart
Exercise for a healthy heart
Here’s motivation: Research shows that inactive women are at twice the risk of developing heart disease as active women. Aerobic exercise combined with strength training is the best kind of exercise to protect your heart, says Reid.
Try to choose activities that work out your upper body, too, he adds, such as cross-country skiing, tennis and swimming. “Even well-paced walking goes a long way to improving cardiovascular health. One of the biggest issues women have is that they put everyone else’s health before theirs,” says Reid. “Break up your overall expenditure through the day into bouts that are 10 minutes long if you need to.”
- Since research shows women tend to benefit from social support during exercise, consider joining a group – or starting one of your own!
- Don’t rule out high-intensity activity. Research shows women aren’t as engaged in strenuous activity, such as playing on sports teams, as men.
- Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your commute, for example, cycling to work.
- Strive to work out at 60 to 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate. Calculate your rate by subtracting your age from 210, which gives you your maximum. Work out at 60 to 80 per cent of that. And you don’t need a fancy heart rate monitor, says Reid. Simply count the number of beats in 10 seconds by holding two fingers on your wrist while exercising. Multiply that by six to get your heart rate.
Cholesterol’s role
Cholesterol is a big concern for women. After menopause (at, on average, age 51), levels tend to rise, says Dr. Beth Abramson, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. In fact, almost half of all Canadian women between the ages of 18 and 74 have high cholesterol levels; a whopping 80 per cent of women aged 65 to 74 have unhealthy levels.
Cholesterol is a fat in our blood that our bodies use to make cell membranes, vitamin D and hormones. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is dubbed “bad” cholesterol because it promotes plaque buildup. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is “good” cholesterol – it helps get rid of LDL. Some people can control cholesterol with lifestyle changes, but it may also be necessary to take medication.
Strategies:
- Reduce daily fat intake to 20 to 35 per cent (for a woman this is between 45 and 75 grams of fat a day)
- Cook with healthy fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils (such as olive oil)
- Avoid unhealthy fats, including saturated and trans fats
- Quit smoking (it increases your LDL)
- Be active most days of the week
Choose more often:
- Vegetable oils
- Nuts and seeds
- Fish
- Fruit and vegetables
- Whole grains
Eat less often:
- Egg yolks
- Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
- Hard margarines
- Fast/processed foods
- High-fat dairy products (cream and cheese)
What are heart disease and stroke?
Heart disease covers many conditions. The most common, coronary artery disease, involves blood vessels in the heart that become blocked with a combination of fatty materials, calcium and scar tissue (called plaque), preventing oxygenated blood from reaching the heart.
A stroke is an interruption of blood flow to the brain (ischemic stroke) or the rupture of blood vessels in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). About 80 per cent of strokes are ischemic, and the buildup of plaque narrowing the arteries that supply blood to the brain is involved in most incidences.
Learn more about your heart health under Disease Prevention in our Health and Nutrition section.
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