Today I’m wearing red to show my commitment to fighting heart disease in women. And for the third year, I’m part of the Blog Your Heart Out campaign helping the American Heart Association with this cause. A few months ago, my desire to fight heart disease got much stronger when I found out I had high cholesterol.
Despite living a healthy lifestyle, my genes caught up with me. My mom had high blood pressure and died of a stroke; my dad has had two heart attacks. There was only one thing left for me to do. Fight harder.
I tweaked my already healthy diet. And I upped my workouts – a powerful way to build a healthy heart because exercise can boost the levels of good cholesterol and lower your blood pressure.
Plus look at all the other amazing heart-healthy benefits of exercise:
- Improves blood circulation, which reduces the risk of heart disease
- Keeps weight under control
- Helps in the battle to quit smoking
- Helps manage stress
- Releases tension
- Counters anxiety and depression
- Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly
- Reduces coronary heart disease in women by 30-40 percent
- Reduces risk of stroke by 20 percent in moderately active people and by 27 percent in highly active ones
[Source: American Heart Association]
So how is my cholesterol now? I just had it tested this week, and should find out the results soon. I will let you know next week.
Until then, don’t forget to Go Red for Women!