GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Heart disease and stroke kill one in every three men and one in two women; the number one and number three killers of women. With this in mind for National Heart Month, it's important to think about the health of your heart especially when it comes to diet and exercise.
Amanda Wittig, a registered dietician and personal trainer at Life Time Fitness in Maple Grove, joined KARE 11 News @4 to share heart healthy eating tips:
Integrate foods that protect your heart into your diet. Examples include Omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish (salmon, sardines, herring), plant sources (flax seed and walnuts) and naturally-occurring high fiber foods (beans, legumes, quinoa, steel cut oats, vegetables and some fruits).
When considering a heart healthy diet, consider eating a diet of whole foods that provide adequate protein, healthy fats and moderate carbohydrates.
Avoid high sugar items, especially processed foods, as diets high in processed foods and sugar cause inflammation in the body resulting in elevated blood lipids and increase your risk for heart disease.
Choose the right supplements. Try an Omega-3 supplement; guaranteed mercury free and pharmaceutical grade.
Exercise tips for your heart health
To keep your heart healthy, integrate 30-60 minutes of activity/movement everyday in to your lifestyle.
To be heart healthy, you must pay attention to your heart. Tracking your heart rate is the only way to evaluate the intensity of your work out. You want to stay in the heart rates that burn more fat for fuel in order to manage weight and decrease your risk for disease. A heart rate monitor keeps you accountable to those heart rates during your work out.
Don't ignore the signs and take precaution while exercising. Stop exercising if you feel fatigued or short of breath. Stop any activity if you have an irregular heart beat and check your pulse again after 15 minutes of rest. Never ignore chest pain.
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