Fitness Advice

Written By: Wayne and Marsha Johnson - Body Sculptors Personal Training
June 4, 2005




INTRODUCTION
If you were asked what you thought your potential risk for developing heart disease was, perhaps you would casually think for a moment and respond by saying “It won’t happen to me.” Yet, in reality, that may not be true. Scientific research has given us a way to study the relationships of many various factors such as genetics and lifestyles to America’s current number one killer: heart disease. Considering these factors, you can take a serious look at your odds for developing coronary heart disease (CHD) and what things you can and cannot change in order to decrease these odds.


NON-MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS
According to the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, there are four basic inherited/biological risk factors for CHD. These things cannot be changed: age, gender, race, and susceptibility to disease. Many people would be considered low risk if the above factors were all that were being considered. Yet, there are several other things that affect the development of heart disease, such as diet, physical activity, stress, etc. These things are what matter the most and, fortunately, are those that can be changed.


MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS
In order to further assess your odds of developing heart disease, you need to ask yourself if any of the following promote or prevent processes (such as atherosclerosis) that can lead to the development of heart disease: physical activity, stress, smoking, diabetes, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and obesity. These are seven areas of your life that you have some control over. The first area, physical activity level, is one that can be considered our biggest defense against heart disease. A sedentary lifestyle, common in our culture, greatly increases one’s risk for CHD. Leading an active lifestyle will serve as a protective factor by maintaining your weight, acutely increasing insulin sensitivity, improving your ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, and making your heart more efficient. The next area I would like to mention is stress. Research has shown that those people who tend to display Type A personality characteristics are more at risk of developing heart disease. Unfortunately, many people display this personality trait so the odds for this group developing heart disease is increased. So exactly how can one change their personality trait? There are different methods that aid in reducing the stressful side effects associated with this personality trait and the method of choice is largely dependant on the individual at hand. However, I have this trait and recommend starting with stress management classes. Next, smoking is one of the largest risk factors in the development of heart disease. Our society is aware of some of the damages associated with smoking. However, it is not uncommon for some to continue smoking until serious damage has been done to their body. In many cases, the damage caused from smoking is beyond repair and the ultimate price is paid: death. Smoking seriously damages the lining of arteries, raises LDL cholesterol levels, and leads to an increased clotting rate, all of which promote atherosclerosis. Quitting smoking is likely the biggest and most attainable change one can make in order to lower their risk for CHD. As for the other risk areas, at least three of them can be related to diet: diabetes, blood cholesterol, and obesity. If the development of these problems has not occurred, eating a sensible diet combined with regular exercise will significantly decrease their occurrence later in life. If you are one of the millions suffering from these conditions it may be necessary as well as beneficial to your overall health to seek the guidance from a trained professional, whether it be a physician, nutritionist, or a personal trainer. Being aware of your cholesterol level is very important in determining your quality of life. However, many people tend to ignore this aspect of their health. Unfortunately, failure to have your cholesterol screened can be a risk in itself, since heart disease is generally a silent killer. It is recommended that cholesterol levels be checked at least once every five years in all adults aged 20yrs and over. The majority of our society associates a total cholesterol reading under 200 as a desirable range. However, a reading of 150, the level found in the Framingham Study, is associated with a reduction in one’s risk of developing heart disease. Obesity has become an epidemic in our society. Everyone should be aware of this issue since it is so easy in our society to gain weight in the wrong spot as we age: the torso. Excess fat in the midsection is more prone to mobilization as free fatty acids, thus causing cells to use fat as fuel instead of glucose and ultimately leading to insulin resistance. Of course, this can start the snowball effect that will eventually lead to things such as Type II diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Lastly, it is important to confront the issue of blood pressure. Unless one checks his or her blood pressure regularly, then one can have consistently high blood pressure (hypertension) and not even know it. This constant increased pressure increases the wear and tear on the arteries. Checking your blood pressure regularly (during routine doctor’s visits or even at your local grocery store) will uncover elevated blood pressure if it occurs and the problem can be taken care of before it becomes detrimental to your health.


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Now that you have considered how each separate part influences your risk for developing heart disease, you need to be able to sum it all up somehow to get a true idea of what risks you are dealing with. One such way to do this is to take a test that considers all the factors and compare the results to what I’ve previously discussed. Authors of the ninth edition of Core Concepts in Health, Paul M. Insel and Walton T. Roth, devised something called a CVD Risk Assessment. Through 11 questions addressing the issues of sex and age, heredity, smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, exercise, diabetes, weight, and stress, one can get a general idea of his or her risk of developing heart disease. The results are categorized as low, moderate, high, or extremely high risk. Of course, the lower the score, the lower the risk and vice versa.


PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
If your current evaluation of yourself shows that you have a small risk for developing heart disease, you want to be sure to at least maintain this status, and perhaps even improve it. If your evaluation uncovers an elevated risk for heart disease then it is time to take control of your health by making the necessary changes. At times it may appear as though you are climbing a mountain to make these changes but keep in mind that a journey of one thousand miles begins with just one step. Remember that it is not always necessary to make these changes on your own. There is a world of support at your fingertips. However, the first step to improving your health lies on your shoulders; so the choice is yours. Decreasing your risk factors is essential to improving the quality and ultimately, prolonging your life. So what are you waiting for? You owe it to yourself and especially your heart!!


Best Regards,

Body Sculptors Boot Camps
www.louisvillebootcamp.com



REFERENCES


Al Mamun, A., Peeters, A.,Barendregt, J., Willekens, F., Nusselder, S., Bonneux, L. Smoking decreases the duration of life lived with and without cardiovascular disease: a life course analysis of the Framingham Heart Study. European Heart Journal, 25(5), 409-415.

Fahey, T.D., Insel, P.M., Roth, W.T. Fit & Well. 308-325.
Lloyd-Jones, D.M., MD, Wilson, P.W.F.,MD, Larson, M.G., Beiser, A., PhD, Leip, E.P., MS, D'Agostino, R.B., PhD., Levy, D., MD. Framingham risk score and prediction of lifetime risk for coronary heart disease. The American Journal of Cardiology, 94(1), 20-24.

Millen, B.E., DPH, RD, FADA, Quatromoni, P.A., DSc, RD, Nam, B.Y., PhD., O’Horo, C.E., RD, MPH, Polak, J.F., MD, MPH, Wolf, PA., MD, D’Agostino, R.B., PhD. Dietary patterns, smoking, and subclinical heart disease in women: opportunities for primary prevention from the Framingham nutrition studies. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 104(2). 208-214.

Powers, S. K., Howley, E.T. Exercise Physiology. 279-282.

Labels: Diet, Exercise, Heart Disease, Louisville, Nutrition