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by Leah Jenvey
We are bombarded in the media with songs and movies about protecting our hearts. Many women focus on protecting their hearts against heartache and grief but overlook protecting it from the most painful of all – heart disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease has been the number one killer of women for over 100 years, killing 500,000 women each year in the US –more than all types of cancer combined.
You may be thinking that heart disease is only for the old and the weak, but you would be mistaken. Heart disease is increasingly becoming a young women’s disease. And serious heart disease can lead to a heart attack. But don’t let this scare you. If you learn the warning signs of a heart attack, you will have a better chance of avoiding one. According to the Heart and Stroke foundation, some of the warning signs of a heart attack include pain, shortness of breath, nausea and sweating.
What is heart disease?
The technical name of heart disease is Atherosclerosis, which is commonly called “hardening of the arteries.” Blockage of the arteries prevents oxygen from reaching the heart. Without a low-cholesterol diet and an active lifestyle that includes daily exercise, blockages of arteries can lead to a full-blown heart attack.
Prevention is the key. If you start exercising and eating healthier you will greatly reduce your risk of heart disease. Some practical ways to improve your health and reduce your risk of heart disease is:
- Take a half-hour walk daily
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Eat whole wheat bread instead of white
- Eat 5-10 serving of fruits or vegetables daily
- Choose low-fat foods and leaner meats
- Prayer and mediation on God
A temple of God
It’s easy to get worried. The facts are harsh, but worry only adds to stress to your life. God wants us to take care of our bodies. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” We are to treat our bodies like a temple of God. Just like reading the Bible and spending time daily with the Lord leads to a strong and healthy spiritual life, exercising and eating right will lead to a strong and healthy heart.
If you would like to know how your heart is doing the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has a Cholesterol and Heart Disease IQ test that you can do online. Click here to take the test.
If you are worried and would like to talk to someone about it, our mentors would like to help. Please e-mail us your concerns.
Leah Jenvey is the Editorial Administrator for Women Today. She has a B.A. in English from Concordia University College and enjoys her early morning workout routine.
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