Battling Premature Heart Disease
Anthony Olivar does his cardio warm-up on the stationary bike before he begins weight lifting. By: Yera Nanan
Many are not aware of preventative knowledge that can keep their hearts healthy.
The American Heart Association (AHA) is an association dedicated to providing beneficial information to the public about heart and stroke disease. The AHA has raised billions of dollars for research and medical breakthroughs.
Their Heart and Stroke Statistics for 2017 address provides eye-opening, concerning information about the current state of heart-related issues across the globe.
Cardiovascular disease is not only the leading cause of death in the United States but in the world as well, taking more than 17.3 million victims in 2003.
The death rate for this disease has declined significantly from the year 2003, but there is still an average of 801,000 heart and stroke-related deaths in the US every year.
Even cancer and Chronic Respiratory Disease combined, can’t beat out cardiovascular disease taking lives.
Smoking, physical activity, nutrition, obesity/overeating and other bad habits increase the risk of heart disease but don’t necessarily cause it.
With tobacco use being the cause of 5 million deaths a year and high blood pressure still running rampant, it was a long fight for heart disease to be at a controllable level.
Many college students are either not concerned about heart disease and/or don’t have enough knowledge on the subject because they feel other diseases are worse.
In 2004, a research study was conducted at Arizona State University, showing how most college students should be more concerned about cardiovascular disease, especially among women and minorities.
College students were led to believe that women had a higher risk of getting breast cancer, while Whites most commonly have heart disease. Both of these statements are false.
Most people attending college have access to a gym and health center where they can make it a priority to take care of their body from the inside out.
Preventing heart disease has to do a lot with making serious lifestyle changes as far as what we put in our bodies and how we keep our heart rate up when exercising.
The Rec Center trainers offer a lot of knowledge on having a healthy heart through diet and exercise practices. These ideas are constantly being expressed to their clients.
“I focus on the full body […] the more blood flow we can get going the more the heart is going to be used,” said Rec trainer Brady Collins.
According to Collins, the more pressure you put on your heart workload while exercising, the higher the intensity of full engagement of the heart.
Though the trainers mainly focus on working out the body during sessions they try to leave a lasting impression even when clients no longer need their service.
They also try share advice for staying resilient at home with tips for a heart healthy diet.
“As far as diet, you just focus on trying to eat healthier which means trying to take out any processed foods and unnecessary sugars,” said Collins.
Collins mentioned that fatty and greasy foods should be removed from the diet completely but also adds that there are good fats for the heart and body like avocados and peanut butter.
Someone exercising for the first time shouldn’t be going seven days a week at a high intensity nor should they be taking pre-workout supplements which can raise heart rate.
“You shouldn’t be able to carry on a conversation or sing a song, but if you’re panting and can’t breathe maybe you’re a little too intense,” added Collins.
Collins advises that a light cardio workout before hitting the weights is essential for beginners and frequent gym goers since it gets the heart going while warming up the body.
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