Happy Healthy Heart

Most of the time when we hear about heart attacks we hear about them in men, but that is not always the case. Women have heart attacks too. One of the highest reason for heart attack in both men and women is because of leading unhealthy lifestyles, obesity and stress. Obviously men and women both suffer from all of these things, so it should not have come as suprise to me when I came across this article on Yahoo news written by Leah Zerbe of Rodale.com, that it was about women.

I am just not use to hearing about women having heart attacks. Part of the reason for this is because of where men and women tend to carry their weight. This can also mak eyou more prone to having heart failure. People who suffer from heart attacks tend to carry all of their weight in their stomach, which is more commen in men. Women tend to carry more of their weight in their lower body. Areas like the hips, thighs and butt. I certainly fall into this category as well. Even when I'm thinner than now I always have a big booty and child bearing hips.

Zerbe's article talks about how women suffering with work stress are more likely to have an attack. So she offers stress relief suggestions. I've talked about this before because the more stressed out people are the less likely they are to have results when losing weight. Here are the tips that Zerbe posted and I will share them with you :)

"An August study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that students taking part in Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) enjoyed changes in white brain matter (within 11 hours of practice) that seemed connected to better regulation of emotions and behavior," said Zerbe in her article.

You've got to change up the way you think about things and IBMT will do that for you. It consists of the "practice of maintaining a state of restful alertness to tap into body-mind awareness while a trained coach guides your breathing and mental imagery." Kind of like when you are doing breathing exercises in Yoga. Another thing it is similar to is the more recognized and well known thing called mindulness-based stressed reduction (MBSR). This involves focusing on "your present-moment thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental way. MBSR has been shown to help people make clearer decisions in times of crisis, which could help when all health breaks loose at the office."

You don't have to turn to pill popping to lower your stress you can do it all nat-u-ral! Here is what Zerpe suggests in her article;

Get your daily IBMT. Previous research out of the University of Oregon and three Chinese institutes has found that you could adopt stress-zapping properties of IBMT before the workweek's out. After practicing it for 20 minutes a day for five days in a row, participants reported reduced stress and increased energy. Prevention suggests this intro IBMT exercise: Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and think of your mind as a full cup; as thoughts come and go, keep returning to an image of the cup becoming empty. Repeat for five minutes.

Regardless of your meditation style, know this: Compared to non-meditators, women who practice meditation enjoy up to a 66 percent drop in stress hormone levels, which can dramatically improve heart health.

Pop a piece of gum.
If you're in need of an emergency quick freak-out fix, reach for a piece of gum. (Avoid artificial sweetened gum, though—some are linked to health issues.) One study found that chewing gum boosts blood flow to the brain by up to 40 percent, helping you stay calm and in the present. This prevents you from ruminating over some aggravating office event.

Learn more about meditation.
You don't need to be a monk to enjoy the benefits of meditation. In fact, more and more Western integrative medicine practitioners are using it as a nontoxic health improver. To learn more about meditation, read: Meditate Like a Marine to Pump Up Your Mental Muscles.