Healthy Heart
NAME: Lily
TOPIC: Heart health
STATUS: Listening to the rain fall
GOAL: More cardio
PEEVE: Chipped manicure
GLEE: Fall is in sight
When one person in the household goes on a diet, everybody goes on a diet. Which is not such a terrible thing, really, since we could all stand to be in better shape. I’ve swapped my gummy bears for grapes, I no longer mindlessly munch on chips & salsa in front of the TV and I can’t remember the last time we had white bread in the house.
Did You know?Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Cancer and stroke round out the top three.
Menopausal women are at a higher risk for developing heart disease because their bodies produce less estrogen.
Researchers found that a woman’s resting pulse rate was a good indicator of her risk of heart attack. Women with high heart rates, (at or above 76 beats per minute), were more likely to suffer a heart attack than women with lower resting pulse rates (62 beats per minute or less).
Basically, dear sister Rose caught Healthy Eating Fever after talking to Mom and Dad a couple of weeks ago. The ‘rents are in pretty good shape for old people – they’re constantly gardening, and when they’re not gardening, they’re power-walking. But Dad did smoke for years, and I guess it did a little damage to his arteries (either that or this family’s gene pool is out to get us all), because even though he’s not a big guy, his doctor says he’s got early signs of heart disease. Well, of course, Mom had a major freak-out. She has always planned to live to be 100, and she’s taking the old man with her whether he likes it or not.
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She invited everyone out for the weekend and then sat us down for a Family Meeting, during which we all got a lecture about our terrible and unhealthy habits. Well, everyone but Rose, who is widely considered to be the saint of the family. Then Mom proceeds to do a junk-food sweep of her kitchen worthy of a S.W.A.T. team, wiping out colonies of cookies, entire frozen pizzas and scores of deliciously salty and sadly uneaten chips. Sure, she could’ve done the clean-out prior to our arrival, but she’s always had a flair for the dramatic.
Dad tried to save a half-eaten bag of Doritos, but she caught him in the act. It wasn’t pretty. His only saving grace is that the doctor said the occasional beer or glass of wine will do him – and his heart – good. At least he gets to keep one vice! But, alas, no more cheeseburgers (unless you count turkey burgers, which I don’t) and sausage is about to become a distant memory. Still, Mom’s a good cook, so she can make some tasty fish and chicken dishes without boring the old guy to death.
Luckily, Rose is also a creative genius in the kitchen, because after we got home she did the same kitchen sweep as Mom. “These things run in families, you know,” she said to me. “We may be young and cute now, but we’re going to have to work at it if we want to stay that way.”
I know my youth will eventually fade, but give up my cuteness? Never! I’d rather give up gummy bears…
Q: When should a woman start thinking about her heart health?
See our Q&A with expert Nancy Raines and ask her your cardiovascular queries!
All the above information has been reviewed by this week’s expert.
