Novel Ways To Fight Heart Disease

(CARLSBAD, CA) - You may be well versed on the tried and true methods for combating heart disease, says Jazzercise CEO Judi Sheppard Missett: lower your cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, eat a diet low in saturated fat, don’t smoke, and exercise aerobically to strengthen your cardiovascular system. But why not throw in some promising, albeit novel approaches to supplement your heart healthy program?

— Take a multi-vitamin. Always a good idea nutritionally, multi-vitamins also may reduce C-reactive protein, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, according to a study at The Cooper Institute. Researchers acknowledge that additional studies are needed to confirm the results, but the possibilities are promising.

— Eat beans, peas and other legumes often. Dish them up four times a week and you could lower your long-term risk of coronary heart disease by 22 percent, according to a study published in the “Archives of Internal Medicine.” Their combination of soluble fiber and folate make them extremely heart healthy.

— Maintain healthy gums. Periodontal disease has been linked with heart attack risk by researchers from the University of Buffalo, State University of New York. In a study of nearly 1,500 people, they found that individuals under age 55 who had signs of gum disease were two to four times more likely to have a heart attack.

— Develop a cinnamon habit. A study by the USDA and Pakistani researchers found that adding a dash of cinnamon to toast or coffee may help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Diabetics in the study who consumed half a teaspoon of cinnamon daily for two months reduced their LDL cholesterol up to 27 percent and their triglycerides by as much as 30 percent. Researchers believe non-diabetics may experience the same benefits.

— Practice Tai Chi. A review of nearly 50 studies on Tai Chi confirms that the ancient martial art is associated with improved cardiorespiratory function.

— Get a stress test. Even if you’re relatively young and show no signs of heart disease, a stress test can be a good predictor of future heart problems, especially for women. How hard you can push yourself while exercising and how quickly your heart rate returns to normal afterward are very good indicators of heart disease risk, even twenty years in the future. Women who scored low on stress tests during research conducted at the Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes in Baltimore were three times more likely to develop heart disease than women with high scores, even without showing other conventional danger signs (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking). But don’t fret, a low score doesn’t have to be a doomsday pronouncement but rather a wake-up call to start exercising regularly and eating right.

Why wait a minute longer? Get moving with the following aerobic dance step. (If you have any known cardiovascular risk factors be sure to get your doctor’s approval before you begin.)

Stand tall with your feet hip width apart and your knees and toes forward.  Bend your knees and take a little jump.  Next, hop onto your right foot as you extend your left heel to the side and snap your fingers to the music.  Jump back to both feet and then hop onto your left foot, extending your right heel to the side.  Continue alternating right and left until you are ready to change moves. 

If the hopping is too much or you are not ready for high impact exercise, just modify the movement to a low impact “step, heel, step, heel.” 

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com