Running thru life with a healthy heart

February is NATIONAL HEART MONTH!!!!  

Heart disease is THE LEADING cause of death in the United States.

We are only given one heart and it is our job to take care of it. 

I have taken this info from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Website

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HeartMonth/

"Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and is a mjor cause of disability."  The most common heart diesase in the US ia coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. In 2010, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one." 

Crazy right????

So you might ask what conditions can put me at risk for heart disease?

High Cholesterol

High Blood Pressure

Obesity

Diabetes

Tobacco Use

Unhealthy diet

Limited physical activity

Secondhand smoke

So what can we do?    Lead a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!!!!

A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight heart disease!  That being said below are some recommendations that the CDC makes:

• Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
• Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
• Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
• Add Exercise into your Daily routine
• Cut out smoking 
• Select and purchase foods lower in salt/sodium.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you're a woman and two drinks per day if you're a man.

GET ACTIVE.... Running is an excellent way to keep our heart healthy. 

So as I am running my 4-5 miles today, I will remind myself that I am doing this for my heart and my health!!!