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Mothers and Heart Health
By Jamie Lober
Posted April 2009

StethoscopeYour heart health affects your overall wellness, so it is important to maintain it. "The heart is a survival organ and everything flows through or around it. It is important to be heart healthy so you live longer and have less medical problems," explains Classic City Cardiology. When you understand your risk factors and the lifestyle choices you can make to protect your heart, you can create a heart health plan as a family.

Obtain the recommended health screenings and calculate your risk. "Have your cholesterol checked. If it is more than 240, you have more than twice the normal risk of getting heart disease. If you have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, your risk is six times higher. If you have high cholesterol and smoke, your risk is 20 times greater than normal," informs the office of Dr. Subdoh Agrawal. Heart disease does not just affect men. "One in nine women between age 45 and 64 have heart disease. If you are in this age group, it is important to have regular check-ups with a family doctor," says Agrawal's office.

Although it can be genetic, a healthy lifestyle can be a good defense against heart disease. Even as a busy mom, there are still things you can do. "Plan meals in advance, set up physical activity time on a regular basis, walk around your neighborhood or in your office, run up and down the stairs, do an exercise video, walk when doing errands and park farther from your destination take your kids to the park and identify play time activities that help you keep fit, join a walking group or ask friends to join you in daily walking. Work out when your child is at practice or extracurricular activities and exercise while watching your favorite TV show," advises Darrya Lipscomh, communications director for the American Heart Association-Georgia. Quitting smoking is critical as smoking destructs the arteries surrounding your heart, thickens and causes blood to clot and can even increase your blood pressure. Within two years of smoking cessation, you have already cut your risk of heart disease by one-third.

Try to manage a healthy weight, but do not start when you are pregnant. Women typically gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, whereas a woman who is overweight or obese may only gain 15. Poor responses to stress like overeating can contribute to heart disease, so it is important to put things into perspective.

Just because you are engaging in poor health behavior now and do not have heart disease does not mean you will not have it down the road. "Some may start out young and have no signs of it and then, as they get older, it produces itself," says Classic City Cardiology.

Try to be accepting of the things you cannot change. "People who cannot relax and enjoy life develop blocked arteries faster than people who go with the flow," says the Agrawal office. Be sure to take time to relax. "Keep a journal, reduce stress by planning a technology-free weekend balanced with active sports swimming, skiing, horseback riding or other fun physical activity, celebrate your successes with healthy rewards like a massage or facial and read a book," recommends Lipscomh.

It is particularly important to adopt healthy behavior and relax because there will be some life transitions that are out of your control. Menopause may naturally increase your cholesterol level and homocysteine, a protein related to damaged arteries, both of which increase your risk of heart disease. If you are pregnant and have risks of heart disease, you may want to get a fetal ultrasound test or other diagnostic test. Your physician may even be able to prescribe you heart drugs that will make sure the baby is safe. Of course, not smoking or drinking and maintaining a balanced diet should not be forgotten.

Get your family involved. Plan an afternoon where everyone can enjoy a beautiful, scenic walking trail. Play golf together and take advantage of the extra walking you can include when traveling between holes. Choose a workout video with good, motivating music. Search your local newspapers for fun events going on in the community.

Do not be afraid to see a professional if you are concerned. "Someone would come in if they are having any kind of irregular heart rates, chest pain, shortness of breath or hypertension," says Classic City Cardiology. Remember to be proactive. "If it gets caught early with intervention, you have a good chance of correcting it. The longer you let it go, the worse it gets," warns Classic City Cardiology.

Remeber, as Agrawal's office says, "A happy heart is a healthy heart." Make your commitment to heart health as a family today.

Jamie Lober is a writer who strives to make a healthier Georgia by initiating meaningful conversation about health behavior and risks.


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