Today I was reading a book called "Take a Load off Your Heart," by Joseph C. Piscatella. While I am not guilty of all of these things, it's amazing how many of the indicators I have for later heart disease, and amazing what I do today to take care of these things really matters for how long I will live.
Some of the risk factors for cardiac disease included: having a Type A personality, being chronically stressed, being in acute emotional stress, being a negative thinker, being chronically angry, having high anxiety levels, eating junk food, never exercising, being B vitamin deficient, too much credit card debt, having too many sweet and salty foods, never taking vacations, eating a lot of saturated fat/transfat/dietary cholesterol, smoking, being sedentary.
The fix: stress management, anger management, live below means without accruing debts, exercise consistently, eat whole food (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains - in their natural state), take a vacation, eat only fat that is melted at room temperature, avoid smoking, be active and involved in life, strive to think positive. The apostle Paul, in the Bible said to "Count it All Joy" when you fall into trouble or temptation. He also said he had learned to be content, whether he was rich or poor.
According to that book "Take A Load off Your Heart," as much as one half of the population is sedentary, 60 to 70% of illness is stress-related, and 75 to 90% of visits to physicians are stress-related. It speaks to the need for us to turn off that TV, and learn how to do things to manage our stress levels. Even exercise helps control stress levels. But also, biofeedback is one way to manage stress. It teaches you how to breathe in the right way, so that your heart and all systems of your body are in balance.
The most basic lesson: heart disease is preventable. Heart attacks are not a given. They are caused by life choices.
