Friday, October 20, 2006
Check your cholesterol - Heart Health
YOU SHOULD GET A complete cholesterol check every five years, according to a new set of national guidelines governing cholesterol measurement and treatment. And make sure to ask for a "full lipid profile," which measures LDL ("bad") cholesterol, HDL ("good") cholesterol and triglycerides.
The new guidelines use a sliding scale for LDL, meaning that the higher your risk for heart attack, the lower the LDL measure should be. While earlier guidelines deemed HDL levels under 35 to be "low," the updated standards give 40 as the minimum; below this number is considered unhealthy. An HDL count of 60 or more is regarded as protective against heart disease. The new guidelines lower the upper limit for triglycerides from 200 to 150.
"Once you find out what your levels are, then discuss with your doctor where they need to be, given other health risks [such as any cardiovascular disease], and what you can do to get them there," says Lynne Kirk, M.D., F.A.C.P., of the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Lifestyle plays a big role in controlling your cholesterol, she adds, so in addition to maintaining a healthy weight and exercising, aim to:
* Reduce saturated fats in your diet to less than 7 percent of total calories, and lower dietary cholesterol to less than 200 milligrams per day.
* Consume foods with plant stanols/sterols (two grams per day)--these are present in certain margarines and salad dressings.
* Eat 10 to 25 grams per day of soluble fiber, which is found in apples, peas, beans, oats and nuts (you should eat approximately 25 to 30 grams of total fiber per day).
Exercise at a young age decreases risk of heart disease later in life: study - Health
Are you in your 20-something years and find yourself avoiding the treadmill in your home? Do you hide it with those unhung pieces of clothing?
Do you take the longer route to your house just to bypass the neighborhood gym you once belonged to? Do you tell yourself you're going to rejoin? Well, you might want to rethink your exercise routine now to escape health problems in the future.
People who stay in shape in their 20s by leading an active lifestyle are more likely to decrease their high risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and other heart attack risk factors by their 30s and 40s, according to a study in which people were given treadmill tests for their fitness.
The lesson: "People can't wait until they are middle age to try to protect themselves," said lead author Mercedes Carnethon, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), involved about 4,400 men and women who were given a treadmill test when they were aged 18 to 30. Most of them were followed for 15 years after that.
Those who did not do well on the treadmill test faced double the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes or a condition called metabolic syndrome when compared with highly fit participants.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that includes high blood sugar, poor cholesterol levels, elevated blood pressure and a fat belly.
Some of the participants underwent a second treadmill test, seven years after the first one. Those who became more fit during those intervening years reduced their risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome by 50 percent.
The findings "confirm what common sense has always told us-lack of fitness in youth is not a good thing for later life," said Dr. Teri Manolio, director of epidemiology at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the research. "It doesn't take that long for risk factors to develop and disease to develop."
Fitness levels were determined by how long participants could walk on a treadmill without becoming fatigued and short of breath.
About 60 percent of the female test subjects and 50 percent of the male subjects had low or moderate fitness levels. They were said to be twice as likely to develop heart-disease factors as those who were highly fit.
Punch, kick and roll - fitness regimens
If your exercise regimen needs a jump start, check out these 7 hot workouts
If diet alone were enough to keep us healthy, then every vegetarian would be the picture of perfect health. But the truth is, to achieve optimum health, we must exercise too. A regular fitness program helps keep weight off, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce stress and improve your mood. And while committing to a workout regimen can be difficult, most experts agree that if you can find an activity you enjoy--as long as it elevates your heart rate and gets you moving at least three days a week--you're on the right track, so to speak. What matters most is finding something that inspires you to exercise. That's where we come in.
Just as spinning and step aerobics were the hot trends of the '90s, a whole new roster of workouts has cropped up, ranging from boxing to yoga to swinging from a trapeze. Whether you're a hard-core athlete who likes to keep up with the latest sport or someone whose idea of a hip workout is still the stationary bike in the basement, it's important to mix things up. It's not only for the sake of your muscles, which get used to an exercise rather quickly, but--even more important--for your mind. Of course we're not suggesting that you give up an activity you enjoy. Biking, walking, running and swimming aren't fads; they're exercise staples. But if you're looking for a new challenge, fresh motivation or are just curious about what everyone else is doing, we're sure you'll find something here that piques your interest.
1 Strike a Pose One of the year's hottest fitness trends is to take a mind/body approach to exercise. And within that category, nothing is more popular than yoga. With advocates like Madonna, Oprah and Sting, it's clear that yoga has moved from the alternative to the mainstream. In fact, more than 18 million Americans regularly practice yoga--compared with 6 million in 1994, according to Yoga Journal. Kathie Davis, executive director of IDEA Health and Fitness Association in San Diego, has a theory as to why. "In these stressed-out, work-around-the-clock times, relaxing, quieter classes like yoga, tai chi and Pilates are having a heyday. They demand more internal focus, which relieves stress while improving strength and muscle tone, coordination, posture, balance and concentration all at the same time." The best part about yoga is that with so many styles and approaches, it offers something for everyone. "People who like to sweat and push themselves to their aerobic edge should try Ashtanga Yoga, also known as Power Yoga," points out Andrea Mather, staffer at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, Mass. "For die-hards who want to concentrate on precision and alignment a la ballet class, there's Iyengar Yoga. And for folks looking for meditation in motion, Kripalu Yoga is a great choice. Today you'll find yoga for pregnant women, children and even people with disabilities."
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