Make It a Real Valentine’s Day – True Love

We Are Still Not Getting It!

Heart disease is our biggest killer, men & women.

Now let me slam you with some cold hard facts I have gathered between the CDC – Center for Disease Control & American Heart Association.

Since 1984, More women have died of heart disease than men.

According to Columbia University, 62% of women thought breast cancer was our biggest killer. Only 10% of women were aware of just what an epidemic we have of heart disease killing women. The saddest stat out of that survey was only 12% of women had discussed their risk of heart disease with their doctor.

In 2007, heart disease killed 7.5 times more women than breast cancer.

In the same year, 15, 863 women younger than 45 died of heart disease, 8487 of breast cancer.

In 2010, it was estimated the U.S. spent $316 Billion on heart disease.

The most tragic part of all of this, ask any heart specialist, a huge number of these fatalities could have been prevented. These numbers I gave you are for deaths…..there is still an estimated 13 million people in the United States with heart disease – a ticking time bomb.

Just a BTW ladies, many women had NO symptoms of heart disease – the first symptom was sudden death. That does NOT mean it started with the heart attack, it means the symptoms are silent killers, and we have to be much more vigilant over prevention. You chances are WILL NOT feel that elephant crunching down on your chest as it is so often described.Symptoms are often little things we take no notice of like a back ache or a sore jaw.

Trust me, I fear breast cancer just as much as every other woman out there. However, this is the most devastating part of all. It is the same prescription to fight heart disease, many cancers, depression, IBS, many GI issues, obesity, diabetes……the Rx is the same:

Do Not Smoke

Healthy level of body fat – body weight is not the best indicator

Eat a healthy diet – ditch sugar & quit eating fat foods – awesome start

Physical activity for a MINIMUM of 150 minutes per week – obviously the more the merrier.

This is a preventable disease – 80% of the time!!!!! Often what is passed on between generations is bad lifestyle choices, NOT the heart disease. Accept responsibility & quit using genetics as the universal scapegoat.

Another BTW, research led by the guru of exercise physiology Dr. Steve Blair – the medical community has embraced his research that proved our #1 lifestyle killer is sedentary behavior…. sitting on your a– and not moving enough. Go get yourself a pedometer. Put in on the moment you get out of bed in the morning. You should be walking a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. As we all say in the fitness business…walk the dog even if you don’t have a dog to walk!

Folks, I implore you. There are forces much greater than us. Quit trying to fight the system – Nature’s system will prevail. I am getting kind of tired of the rhetoric “love yourself however you look” its not the looks that matter. If you want to love yourself than love yourself into being healthy & fit so you can stay alive for longer.

There is absolutely no better way to show love for another than by contributing to their health. I am NOT the grinch that stole romance – I just have a very real definition of romance. The Valentines chocolates, flowers – those are superficial. Make it real, make your Valentine’s gift a heart healthy gift – from the heart to the heart.

On Eat Exercise Live, please join me with these outstanding professionals who want to contribute to your health.

Dr. Holly Andersen – New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell – America’s #1 Cardiologist

Dr. Steve Blair – Exercise Physiologist research guru – the man who sets the standards for exercise prescription, Surgeon General’s awards University of South Carolina

Dr. Tim Church: director of the Laboratory of Preventive Medicine at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Specialty: the effects of resistance training on health.