by George Stavrou
According to the Government of Canada website,
“About 1 in 12 (or 2.4 million) Canadian adults age 20 and over live with diagnosed heart disease; Every hour, about 12 Canadian adults age 20 and over with diagnosed heart disease dies.” https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/heart-disease-canada.html Heart disease is also the leading cause of death among Canadians. There are several types of heart disease. Below is a brief description of them:
Coronary artery disease (CAD)
CAD is the most common heart problem and with it, you may get blockages in your coronary arteries – the vessels that supply blood to your heart. This can lead to a decrease in the flow of blood to the heart muscle, which means it getting less oxygen than it needs. This usually results from hardening of the arteries – a condition known as atherosclerosis.
There are a number of things that may put you at a higher risk of CAD. Some of them are:
– stress
– smoking
-obesity
– age (for women, the risk rises shortly after menopause, for men, it increases after the age of 55)
– low levels of HDL (good cholesterol) or high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol)
– high blood pressure
– being inactive
– genetics
– a family history of coronary heart disease
– high blood pressure
Fortunately, many of these can be corrected by following a sound lifestyle and weight management program that incorporates proper nutrition, supplementation, exercise, stress reduction techniques (such as meditation), etc.
Heart Failure
Heart failure is usually caused by coronary artery disease but can also happen due to high blood pressure, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), thyroid disease or certain other conditions. Heart failure is when your heart doesn’t pump enough blood as it should to meet your body’s needs
Heart Arrhythmias
Having an arrhythmia means having an irregular beating pattern. They may happen on their own or from other serious heart problems.
Heart Valve Disease
Your heart has four chambers. Your heart also has four valves that open and close to direct blood flow between these chambers, blood vessels, and lungs. A defect could make it hard to close and open the right way. When this happens, blood flow can leak, or your blood flow can be blocked.
Now that I’ve covered the various forms of heart disease, here are some suggestions to help you minimize the chance of getting it in the first place and also assisting you to reverse it once you do you have it. I am NOT guaranteeing that you CAN entirely reverse disease by following these pointers, but they are definitely a step in the right direction in preventing it from getting worse. In no particular order here are my key pointers:
Exercise
You do not have to train like an Olympic athlete but even working out for 30 mins a day can help keep your heart healthy and strong!
If you are a complete beginner, I would recommend alternating between resistance training and cardiovascular training. They both benefit the heart greatly. Also, by rotating between the two activities, you minimize the risk of overtraining.
Here are some basic suggestions for resistance training and cardiovascular training:
Resistance training
1 – Select a weight that you can lift comfortably for 15 repetitions without straining yourself. This is important for several reasons
– you are training your nervous system to learn how to do the movement properly. It’s easier to maintain proper form with a lighter weight rather than a heavier one.
ii – if you pick a weight that is too heavy – you run the risk of pulling a muscle or even a tendon or ligament strain. Strained tendons and ligaments take much longer to heal than a pulled muscle. When in doubt, err on the side of caution by going lighter
2 – perform 1-2 sets of each exercise. As a beginner, you don’t need to do countless sets to get a proper workout. Even as few as 1-2 sets with a weight that is challenging but not overwhelming will give you some great results!
3 – select one movement for each of the main body parts. Here is my list of the main body parts and recommended exercises:
Upper Back – 1 Arm Rows Abducted
Hamstrings – Lying Leg Curl DB
Thighs – Wide Stance Squats BB
Shoulders – Seated Military Press BB
Chest – pushups SB
Calves – Seated Calf Raise DB
Triceps – Lying Triceps Extension DB
Biceps – Biceps Curl BB
Upper Abs – Crunches
Lower Back – Back Extension
I would use a moderate tempo on each movement
2s to lower it
no pause at the bottom
1s to raise it
no pause at the top
Rest about 60 seconds between each exercise. Repeat for a second set if you are up for it
Cardiovascular training
Select a movement you enjoy. There are lots of options i.e. brisk walking, bike riding, elliptical trainer, rowing machine.
The goal is to be able to do it for 20 min. at a comfortable pace. You should be able to carry on a conversation while doing the activity. Also, keep in mind that there is a scale to help you stay within the correct training zone. It’s called the Ratings of Perceived Exertion or RPE for short. On a scale from 1-10 – 1 – minimal exertion, 10 – is all-out effort and you can barely breathe – start off with what feels like a 4 or 5.
Nutrition
There are different diets out there: Atkins, Pritikin, Mediterranean, The Zone, etc. I consulted with two of the top physicians in the world – Dr. Eric Serrano and Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale – to come up with what I believe is an incredible nutrition program that the majority of us can benefit from – The Stavrou Diet. Too much to cover in this article but here’s a link to week 1 for beginners. It includes a sample 7-day meal plan to get you started.
Different people have different needs but the one thing in common with the majority of diets is eating foods that are not processed and are found in nature. You want to select foods from the perimeter of the grocery store – NOT the inner aisles
Supplementation
There are a number of supplements in the marketplace that are proven to help with dealing with heart disease. I am NOT making specific recommendations for you since I do NOT know your particular needs. I would suggest consulting with your healthcare practitioner to individualize YOUR supplement program.
Below is my top 6 list as recommended by WebMD website – where you can find out more about their specific benefits
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/supplements-heart-healthy#2
Fiber
Sterols and Stanols
CoQ10
Fish Oil
Garlic
Green Tea
Stress reduction techniques:
Meditation
Meditation has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Referencing Wikipedia, here’s what the site says about this incredible tool! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness or focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.[1]:228–29[2]:180[3]:415[4]:107[5][6]
Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs, often as part of the path towards enlightenment and self-realization. Since the 19th century, it has spread from its origins to other cultures where it is commonly practiced in private and business life.
Meditation may be used with the aim of reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, and increasing peace, perception,[7] self-concept, and well-being.[8][9][10][11] Meditation is under research to define its possible health (psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular) and other effects.
There are tons of useful resources on the internet that can help you with meditation. Just do a search on ‘guided meditation’ and you’ll have a great list to work with!
Closing thoughts
You do not necessarily have to put into practice ALL of the above suggestions, but I find that the more of these items I incorporate into my daily life, the better I feel overall!
If you are looking for a package that takes a holistic and preventative approach to health and wellness – look no further.
‘The Stavrou Method: A 12 Week Day by Day Guide To Health, Wellness And Fat Loss For ALL Levels’ is a comprehensive and unique digital package with contributions from over 20+ experts in the following areas of holistic health
· physical health
· mental health
· spiritual health
· emotional health
· financial health
· relationships (with ourselves and others)
~ George Stavrou
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