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The Pinecone
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February 2016 • 5 •
HEART HEALTH
Key s to Ma i n ta i n i ng
The heart is a muscle that is usually the size of your fist. To be so small it is very powerful. The heart has two pumps. The
stronger pump uses arteries to send blood with oxygen away from the heart. The other pump uses veins to bring blood back to
the heart and sends it to the lungs to get more oxygen. The heart keeps you alive and keeping it healthy is very important.
Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels but the main heart problems are caused by disease and not age, although,
the changes that happen as one gets older can cause heart disease. Changes in the heart that are a result of age are blood vessels
become stiffer, causing some parts of your heart wall to thicken to help with blood flow. Your valves may become thicker and
stiffer, causing an increase in leaks or problems with pumping blood out of the heart. Living a healthy lifestyle can help you
avoid or delay serious illness.
Heart disease consists of a range of conditions that affect your heart. Blood vessel disease, coronary artery disease, heart rhythm
problems, heart defects you are born with, etc. are all classified as heart disease. Many forms of heart disease can be prevented
or treated with a healthy lifestyle. Risk factors that are linked with not having a healthy lifestyle are smoking, obesity, physical
inactivity, and poor diet. Other risk factors that can contribute to heart disease are family history, diabetes, high blood cholesterol
levels, high blood pressure, stress, and poor hygiene.
To prevent heart disease one may need to change his or her lifestyle all together. A good start for a smoker, is to stop smoking.
You want to get your health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol under control. Everyone
should exercise at least 30 minutes a few times a week and regularly follow a healthy diet low in salt and saturated fats. Doing
those last two things will help maintain a healthy weight which is key to a healthy lifestyle. Last but not least we want to practice
good hygiene to prevent infections that can cause heart infections. Let’s all have a healthy lifestyle this year and prevent heart
disease!
Please join Katie and our new wellness coordinator Billy in the PAC
on February 8th at 9:45 am for our Smart Moves Presentation!