Did you know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the western world? Heart disease is known as the 'Silent Killer' because for 50% of its victims the first sign of trouble is death.
There are the 4 top ways to help you have healthy cardiovascular health:
1.) High Cholesterol - The higher your cholesterol level the more likely it is you'll get heart disease. Diet, weight, age/gender, physical activity and family history are the factors that will determine whether you will be susceptible to high cholesterol. You can reduce the risk by following a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet and participate in a regular aerobic exercise plan.
2.) Overweight and obese - Refers to an excess of bodyweight usually set to BMI standards (Body Mass Index). It raises your high cholesterol levels, blood pressure and can cause you diabetes, as well as many other diseases.
3.) Physical inactivity - Lack of exercise maximizes self-inflicted risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and obesity. Exercise helps your heart pump blood more effectively and balances good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol, helps you lose weight, lowers blood pressure and reduces stress.
4.) Diabetes - More than 65 percent of people who have this die of some kind of cardiovascular disease. If your blood glucose levels are higher than normal and not controlled, this can affect the lining of the body's arterial walls which promotes the buildup of fatty plaques. When damage affects the major arteries, the result may be a heart attack or stroke.
