Valentine’s Day is a holiday that has been associated with friendship and love for centuries, and this February, women across the country are being urged to not only honor their sweethearts and best friends, but themselves as well.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women over the age of 25 in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, it claims a life every minute, but an effort is underway to reverse the trend. The American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” movement encourages women to learn to love their hearts so they can appreciate their health, their life and their loved ones.

So what can you do to keep yourself heart-healthy? Here’s some good advice from the American Heart Association.

1. Stay Active

Your heart is a muscle -- treat it like one! The only way to build muscle strength is to exercise. Current guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate daily activity.

No time to exercise? That’s okay. Don’t think exercise, think action. Instead of the elevator, take the stairs whenever possible; take a walk after dinner instead of sitting down and watching TV; park a few blocks from the office or store and walk the rest of the way.

2. Eat Smart

Healthy food habits can help you reduce three risk factors for heart attack and stroke -- high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess body weight. Set the stage for success by eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, cereal and grain products, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry and lean meats. You should also eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, keep healthy snacks, such as pre-cut fruits and vegetables on hand, and drink plenty of water.

3. Take Time to Just Relax

We all feel stress from time to time, but too much stress over a long period of time, and unhealthy responses to it, may create health problems in some people. If you frequently feel exhausted at the end of the day both physically and emotionally, instead of turning to an unhealthy solution like drinking or smoking, learn how to just relax.

There are a number of methods you can use: deep breathing, mental imagery, or simply turning on some soft music and lighting a fragrant candle when you come home for the day. According to the Yankee Candle Company, candles affect us on a number of different levels: gazing at a flame relaxes both the eyes and the mind; because candles throw light on a relatively small area, they create a sense of intimacy among the people basking in their glow; and breathing in the sweet fragrance of a classic herb like Sage & Cinnamon or the fruity McIntosh transports you to a far away place.

Realizing the potential of its product to help women stay heart healthy, The Yankee Candle Company recently launched the “Light a Candle for Your Heart” program to run in conjunction with the “Go Red for Women” movement. From now through March 18, 2007, a $1 donation will be made to the American Heart Association for select red candles purchased at any Yankee Candle store or the Yankee Candle Web site, www.yankeecandle.com.

“We created this program to help raise awareness and understanding of the important lifestyle decisions each of us can make to improve our heart health such as incorporating exercise, eating right, and even relaxing. The positive benefits of taking a moment to light a fragrant candle each day to unwind and help release the stresses of the day cannot be overlooked,” says Rick Ruffolo, senior vice president of brand, marketing and innovation for Yankee Candle.

4. Quit Smoking

If you smoke cigarettes (or cigars), your risk of developing coronary heart disease is two to four times that of nonsmokers. You also have a higher risk of illness and death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases, including lung, mouth and throat cancers; chronic lung diseases and infections; congestive heart failure; and peripheral vascular disease (in the legs and arms).

The good news is that when you stop smoking -- no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked -- your risk of heart disease and stroke starts to drop. It’s cut in half after one year without smoking, then continues to decline until it’s as low as a nonsmoker’s risk.

5. Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you have too much body fat, particularly around the waist area, you’re putting yourself at risk for a myriad of health problems, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Try to reach a healthy weight -- and stay there. To lose weight, most women should eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, but not less than 1,200.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Up with the Good Fat, Down with the Bad

The Omega-3 Fatty Acids are the “Good Guys” in the Fat Pool. To up your good cholesterol, down the bad cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart disease, include Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Foods containing these heart-healthy fatty acids are fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, swordfish and albacore tuna. For vegetarians, the best way to get stroke-busting fatty acids is to cook with flaxseed oil.
Silent Killer" 
Some 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, often referred to as the "silent killer" because there are no symptoms until after it has done serious damage. High blood pressure increases your risk for heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure. 

Though high blood pressure or "hypertension" is most common after age 60, new evidence shows why even young people should monitor their blood pressure. It can be done in a doctor's office with a blood pressure cuff. Measured as two values, systolic (the top number), is pressure inside the arteries when the heart beats and diastolic (the bottom number), is the pressure between beats.

Ideal blood pressure is 120 over 80 or lower. High blood pressure is above 140 over 90. Recent studies at the National Institutes of Health show that the top number (systolic) is more important than previously thought. High reading of the top number, even if bottom number (diastolic) is normal, is called "isolated systolic hypertension and should be treated.

Protect Your Skin
Always protect your skin from the sun with a block that screens both UVB and UVA light. Make sure your sunscreen contains both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Wearing sunscreen lotion with a SPF of 15 to 30 is a healthy choice.
Climbing Stairs
Do you have an upper or lower level at home? If so, try climbing those steps to give your legs muscles strength and get a cardiovascular workout at the same time! Get your exercise at home, the office, or on stair-climbing machines in the gym. Climbing two steps at a time is good for building the quadriceps (thigh muscles) and the gluteus (butt). Going down steps builds strength in the quadriceps and to a lesser extent, the hamstrings

Weight Training
Where you just want shape up or improve you golf game, professional sports people and trainers are looking at weight training from a somewhat different angle. Tennis great Andre Agassi attributes his dramatic comeback two years ago to weight training. Tennis trainers recommend lower weights and higher repetitions so as to increase speed and agility without losing flexibility. Baseball players increase the distance of their home runs with heavy weights and fewer reps. Golfers, going for power in their drives, should use medium weights and increased reps. For flexibility and quick muscle movements, as well as control for the short game, less weight and more reps are better for golfers. Leave the super-heavy weights and fewer reps for achieving huge bulk to professional weight trainers. Be sure to cool down! Fifteen to twenty minutes of stretching following weight training is a must
Elevate Your Heart Rate
Depending on your age, level of conditioning, and your fitness goals, you should train in a particular heart-rate zone. Beginners should try to elevate their heart rate to 50%-60% of their maximum while intermediates and advanced should shoot for 70%-85% of their max. The higher your heart rate, the more calories you will burn and the more fit you can become. To figure your maximum heart rate, simply subtract your age from 220. For example, if you were 30 years old, you would have a maximum heart rate of 190. To work at 70% of your maximum heart rate, you would shoot for a heart rate of approximately 133 beats per minute (0.7 x 190). You can also count BPM (beats per minute) in 10-second increments and then multiply by six.
Winter Safety
If your children are overexposed to the cold, they could develop frostnip or frostbite. Frostnip is minor damage to the outer layer of skin which appears white and soft to the touch. If your child develops frost nip, treat in the following manner:
Do not rub the skin. This could damage frozen tissue.
If you cannot get inside immediately, use the heat of your body to gently warm the skin.
If inside, use lukewarm water and immerse the affected skin.
Frostnip can quickly turn to frostbite if not attended to immediately.

Frostbite is the actual freezing of the skin. The most vulnerable areas are the tips of the ears and nose and hands and feet. The affected skin will appear white and waxy and feel hard to the touch. To treat frostbite, begin warming the skin as stated for frostnip and seek medical attention immediately.
We all need to get out during our long winters to avoid cabin fever. Don’t avoid the season – just be prepared.

Some additional safety ideas:
Vulnerable areas for heat loss and cold exposure are head, hands and feet.
Layers of clothing insure warmth like insulation keeps a house warm.
If you use a scarf to keep warm, make sure all ends are tucked in so that they cannot get caught on anything.
Unzip children’s clothing when inside to prevent overheating.
Check child often to see if he’s still warm.
A child sitting passively in the cold needs more blankets than one running around

"Did You Know"  1/6/2007
The Nestles have not run Nestle since 1875.
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