Heart health has come into focus this month. Everyone knows that heart health begins with putting exercise at the top of your priority list. Studies have shown exercise to lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol and the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. Medical experts now say that a sedentary lifestyle poses as great of a health risk as smoking--contributing to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression, arthritis and osteoporosis. Keep reading to find out what Dr. Taglio says about the benefits of exercise at any age.
According to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, older people who do endurance exercise training, end up with metabolically younger hearts. Researchers found that as the heart muscle takes in glucose in response to increased energy needs—like regular exercise--it is better protected against heart attacks If the heart remains sedentary, it will go into an energy-deprived state, which raises the risk of heart attack.
Healthy weight is also an important factor to consider when it comes to your risk of heart disease. A 10 year study linked one half of all fatal heart disease cases and a quarter of all non-fatal cases to being overweight and having a high body mass index or large waist. A high body mass index (or large waist), visceral fat and inflammation are all linked to heart disease and a consistent exercise lifestyle is key to combating these things. It is important to note, you can be thin and underweight and still hold dangerous fat around your organs, so thin people still need to incorporate fitness into their lives.
Note: BMI is not a completely accurate predictor, as athletes and sedentary people can have similar BMI scores, as it gauges weight in relation to height and is a rough estimation of heart disease risk. Weight around your middle section is a better predictor of heart disease risk than weight/BMI.
The best way to trim fat from your belly is eating a healthy whole food diet, rich in nutrients and low in glycemic/ insulin stimulating foods, combined with regular exercise. Insulin is released from eating too many carbohydrates and promotes fat, especially around your waist. Reducing your intake of grains, including corn-based foods, potatoes/starchy foods, and sweets will help to lower your blood glucose.
It is never too late to start exercising and getting your heart health back on track! Participants in an exercise study, ages 60-75, that had been living an inactive lifestyle, began exercising 3-5 times weekly and within 11 months had significant improvements in their heart health. You are never “too old” to reap the health benefits of exercise.
Studies are showing that the best exercise to condition your heart and burn fat, is short bursts of high intensity exercise, not long steady rate cardio (like jogging). New evidence suggests that high intensity interval training will not only dramatically improve your fat burning capabilities, it may provide more protection against heart attacks than the long aerobic-type training. Remember, if you are just getting back into exercising, you need to start slowly and work up to more intense exercise as you become conditioned, to prevent injury.
Most people are not aware that the spine and nervous system have intricate connections to the heart. The nervous system controls the heart and blood pressure. Research has shown that chiropractic adjustments to the upper neck can have a positive effect on significantly lowering heart rate and blood pressure for an extended prior of time. Regular chiropractic treatment, combined with positive lifestyle changes of proper nutrition and exercise can be a powerful ally in the fight against heart disease!
If you are in need of additional guidance in how to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes, heart healthy nutrition, how to monitor blood glucose levels or find balance in your nervous system, our office specializes in advanced nutrition strategies, healthy lifestyle coaching and balancing the nervous system through a very thorough system of analysis, specific to the needs of the individual. We are here as a resource to you, please do not hesitate to call us if you have additional questions or need assistance.
As a wife and mother of two active little boys, Dr. Taglio understands that life is busy and can easily get out of balance. She knows how important healthy habits are in maintaining a healthy family. She is committed to addressing the whole body and takes a multi-pronged approach to improving the function of the nervous system, by removing nerve interference through chiropractic, addressing nutritional components and incorporating neuromuscular re-education to maintain spinal health and stability. She has made it her mission to help people not only feel great, but also help them reach their highest potential, in whatever their endeavors are. She has a love for children and their healing through chiropractic and nutrition.