Wednesday, January 28, 2009

5 EASY WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HEART STRONG

1) Combine resveratrol rich grape juice with seltzer to help lower my blood pressure



2) Eat 1/2 cup of pinto beans a day to lower both my total and LDL cholesterol scores by about 8%



3) Track my resting pulse with a monitor to determine how powerful my heart is



Track your heart's strength: Your heart is a muscle, and it responds to exercise the same way other muscles do, by getting bigger and stronger. A well trained heart can be 30-40% larger than a normal one and pump about 50% more blood and oxygen with every beat. That means it has to beat less often and should last longer. A good, simple measure of your heart's strength is its "resting pulse," which is taken when you're totally relaxed or asleep (your monitor can record and save the data) Normal resting heart rates for adults are in the 70s (beats per minute) while those of well trained endurance athletes dip into the 40s. Generally, the slower your resting heart rate, the more powerful your heart.



4) Replace whole milk with fat free and a little half and half in recipes for a creamy taste, without the heart risk



5) Snack on 1/2 cup of pistachios (for an 1,800 calorie diet) each day to lower your LDL cholesterol by 12%



Please talk to your Dr before changing any diet/diets that he/she has you on, and make sure that your medication will not be affected.

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