FitSugar

Chill Out: Anger Is Bad For the Heart

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:00:00 -0800

National Heart Health Month may be drawing to a close, but keeping your ticker healthy is daily affair. In fact, matters of the heart are affected by what goes on in your head; chronic negative emotions, like anger and stress, might damage the heart.

In a recent Yale University study, anger appeared to interfere with the electrical signals of heart patients. When the electrical signals of the heart become erratic, the heart can abruptly stop beating, leading to cardiac arrest. Emotional stress can tax the heart in the same fashion as physical stress, and in already vulnerable populations, this can lead to trouble. While the direct affects of anger on the heart in populations with healthy hearts has yet to be studied, this test helps us all understand the emotional connection between our emotional life and the health of our heart. If you tend to run a little hot-headed, now might be the time to learn how to cool off before you overheat your heart.

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Wear Your Love on Your Chest

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0800

February is heart health month, and even though Valentine's Day is long gone, you should still being showing your heart some love. And why not declare your love of activities that help you take care of your heart, like running and yoga?

Lucy has created two tees to help you show how you "heart" your heart. A wonderful form of cardio exercise, running strengthens your heart. Yoga is great for easing stress, and stress is bad for your heart. Each t-shirt is $34, but if you can, double your love and buy both shirts for $40 directly from lucy.com.

Heidi Klum Is a Heart Health Champion

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:30:00 -0800

Heart health month is all about raising awareness for heart disease and the ways we can prevent it. Heidi Klum is fully on board with the mission and has joined forces with Diet Coke and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. According to Shape, the multitasking model designed an exclusive Red Dress charm (the symbol for women’s heart disease awareness), which she’ll show off at next week's Academy Awards.

The magazine chatted with Heidi about why she chose to spend her time on this cause in particular and she said, "Heart disease is the number-one killer of women in America, but it doesn't have to be. By following a heart-healthy lifestyle, you can help reduce the risk of heart disease. I want women to think about their own health and the things they can do to stay heart healthy."

She goes on to mention being active and eating healthily as ways for women to prevent heart disease, and smartly adds that it's important to be familiar with your family history. As Heidi puts it, "Always be your own health advocate."

Look for her sporting the special diamond and ruby awareness charm on the red carpet, and visit Shape to see how Heidi stays in killer shape.

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Heart of Truth Red Dress Fashion Show

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:30:00 -0800

Fashion Week kicked off last Friday with a show featuring dresses of a single color: Red. The Heart of Truth Red Dress Fashion Show, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, celebrates the red dress symbol in the most literal way. Pairing over 20 fashion designers with 20 celebs, The Heart of Truth Fashion show hopes to raise awareness of heart disease and how it affects women. Some of the red dresses will be up for auction at Clothes Off Our Back to raise funds for research on women's heart health.

The celebs ranged from Hilary Duff to Katie Couric and to see the ladies in their wonderfully red dresses, just read more.

View 16 Photos ›

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National Wear Red Day Is Tomorrow

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:00:00 -0800

Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer among women? If you did, congrats but there are a lot of folks out there who are unaware. So let's help get the word out.

Friday, Feb. 6 is National Wear Red Day. Celebrate the kickoff to American Heart Month with National Wear Red Day tomorrow by wearing red in support of women’s heart disease awareness. This observance promotes the Red Dress symbol that reminds us that women suffer from heart disease and that education and awareness are our best tools to fight this problem. Plus, the day gives us all an opportunity for everyone to promote the awareness movement by showing off something red of our own.

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What Your Heart Rate Says About You

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0800

A lot of us don't think about our hearts as often as we should, which makes sense because we can't see our hearts to assess them. Hopping on a scale or realizing that your jeans don't fit as well as they used to are telltale signs that your weight has changed, but measuring heart health isn't so easy. Or is it?

Coinciding with heart health month, researchers have announced results of an eight-year study that evaluated heart rates of more than 100,000 women. Their research led them to conclude that predicting a woman's risk of heart attack could be as simple as taking her resting pulse rate.

The study found that, regardless of influential factors like smoking and drinking, a resting pulse offers a simple way to evaluate a woman's heart health. Women with resting heart rates of 62 beats per minute were 26 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease or a heart attack than women with resting rates of more than 76 beats per minute. If you need a little guidance on how to test your own resting heart rate, check out Home Fitness Test: Resting Heart Rate.

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5 Keys to a Healthy Heart

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0800

The 14th of this month may be devoted to the person that holds the key to your heart, but every day in February is a celebration of heart health. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women, so we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves. Start the slideshow to see five keys to a healthy heart.

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Heart Healthy Foods

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:30:00 -0800

We all know that heart health is dependent on many factors, and what you eat is definitely one of them. It's not longer just about cutting out the bad foods though, it's also about adding the good foods. WebMD has compiled a list of the top 15 heart healthy foods, some you may already be eating on a daily basis. Here are highlights:

Swiss Chard
Fresh Herbs
Low-Fat or Non-Fat Yogurt
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Almonds
Barley
Cayenne Chili Pepper
Carrots
Broccoli
Oranges
Lean Pork
Salmon
Black Beans
Dried Cherries

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Label Able: Heart Healthy Choices, Part Two

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:45:00 -0800

In the last days of Heart Health Month, we've been focusing on ways to get our hearts healthy now and in the future. One key way to keeping healthy is to smarten up at the grocery store when reading labels. Here's just a few tips to help you figure out what it all means on the front of the label, and the back:

Sterols and stanols. Plant sterols and stanols are cholesterol-lowering substances often added to products like margarine and salad dressings. Review the label carefully to make sure a product states it offers the cholesterol-lowering benefits of plant sterols and stanols.
Sodium. Look for phrases like "low sodium" or "reduced sodium." This is especially important in processed and canned foods. If a food is labeled as "reduced" in sodium, it has 25 percent less salt than the regular product.
Trans fats. Eat trans fats sparingly, as they raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol. Fried foods and processed foods that have a long shelf life are often loaded with them. The term "partially hydrogenated oil" on an ingredient list indicates the food contains trans fats.
Saturated fat. Butter, fatty cuts of red meat, and cheese made from whole milk are among foods with the highest amount of saturated fat - a main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Opt for low-fat or nonfat dairy products, lean meats such as loin or round cuts and liquid margarines instead of butter.

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Label Able: Heart Healthy Choices, Part One

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

In the last days of Heart Health Month, we've been focusing on ways to get our hearts healthy now and in the future. One key way to keep healthy is to smarten up at the grocery store when reading labels. Here are just a few tips to help you figure out what it all means on the front of the label, and the back:

The claim, "May reduce the risk of heart disease." A company can only put this statement on a food if scientific evidence exists that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided is strong enough to support it.
Nutrient content claims. The government regulates how a company can use terms such as "high," "low" or "reduced." For example, a food must have 3 grams of fat or less to be considered low fat, and a product that is high in a certain nutrient provides 20 percent or more of the daily value suggested by the FDA.
Foods with fiber. Fiber helps the digestive system and lowers cholesterol. Look for the claims "high in fiber" or "excellent source of fiber," as these products have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. A food listed as a "good source" of fiber has 2.5 grams of fiber or more.
Omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats have been shown to benefit the heart. Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout are good sources of omega fats and are low in saturated fat.

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