American Heart Month
—————————————————————

Are you at risk for heart disease?  The Centers for Disease Control say that over 37 percent of adults have reported having two or more risk factors for heart disease and stroke.  There are 6 major risk factors for heart disease:

You can find out more about the details of these risk factors through your local or national American Heart Association, along with your doctor.

But by far the best way to reduce these risk factors is to practice a wellness lifestyle -- especially from an early age.  So, for your children, for example -- it’s very important that they get enough physical exercise. 

GET YOUR FAMILY MOVING
In fact, childhood obesity rates have more than doubled in the past 20 years – more than 30% of children are overweight.   And besides diet, much of this overweight problem is because children aren’t spending enough time outdoors or getting enough physical play.  They’re on the couch or in front of a computer a lot of the time; according to the Kaiser Foundation, the average child spends about 5 ½ hours a day watching TV or being in front of a computer.  

And as a fun tip on how to get your child moving, you can look into exergames.  This is a trend that combines video games with exercise -- because we all know kids love video games and we can't change that but they still need to get up and move.

A good exergame example is the XBOX 360’s Dance Dance Revolution Universe2 game.  It’s a game where you have a game console, the monitor, and a mat.  There are over 70 hits songs and tunes you can dance to.  You follow the arrows on the screen while you’re on your mat.  It’s a great way to be smart about getting your kids and the whole family some exercise.

USE DIET TO REDUCE RISK FACTORS
There are many things you can do with diet to help you reduce your risk factors.  But two trends you can watch for are --

Antioxidants
The first trend is to add antioxidants into your diet.  The American Heart Association recommends that you add fruits and vegetables into your diet because they contain antioxidants and other nutrients that are associated with reducing your risk of heart disease.

Also, black tea has special antioxidants that can boost the health of your arteries.  A product example for black tea is the British Blend by Tetley Tea.    For example, 2 cups of black tea are equal to the antioxidant power of 7 glasses of orange juice.

Superfoods
The second trend is to look for superfoods that give you heart health.  Watermelon is a great example.  And it’s now found yearround in our grocery stores because we import from many parts of the globe.

Watermelon has an amino acid in it called citrulline that makes our heart work better and helps to regulate blood circulation. This is because it increases nitric oxide in the blood.  Nitric oxide is a gas that also prevents blood vessel inflammation, among other benefits.

And there are lots of ways you can eat watermelon, besides just the traditional wedge.  You can make salsa with it, beverages, desserts, sauces, and salads.  Find recipe ideas here. 

EDUCATE YOUR FAMILY
Look into educating your family more about how to live a heart healthy life. An easy way to do this is through an educational campaign called “Us Against Athero.” 

Athero is short for “atherosclerosis” – which is the build up of plaque in the arteries caused by heart disease risk factors.  Athero is a silent condition.  So if you know you have some of the risk factors, then you need to see your doctor because you could have unseen problems.

On the campaign's website at www.athero.com there’s a motion simulator movie that takes you on a virtual tour of your arteries, which I think is really cool.  It’s called the Artery Explorer.  And the campaign will start going city to city this spring with a mobile unit that puts this motion simulator movie into a ride-type experience  -- look for city schedules on its website.

Terra Wellington is a national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle. 
© Copyright Terra Wellington