A Simple Method To Improve Your Heart Health

This simple method to improve your heart health has nothing to do with exercise or a healthy diet. So, how do we improve our heart health?   

 By developing a positive psychological attitude that includes optimism, life satisfaction and happiness.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that the most optimistic people reduced their risk of a heart attack by 50%. This is in comparison to people who are less optimistic.

This is important since heart disease is still the leading cause of death in both men and women.

Not only do psychological assets like optimism and positive emotions slow the progression of cardiovascular diseases, but people with these positive thoughts tend to engage in healthier behaviors. These optimistic people tend to exercise, eat a healthy diet and get enough sleep. They also have lower blood pressures, a healthy blood fat profile and have a healthy body weight.

How can we develop a more positive attitude?

The first thing you should do is pay more attention to your thoughts. You may be thinking in negative terms without realizing it.

For example,

• Instead of thinking that something has no chance of working, try believing that you can make it work. 
• Instead of thinking that something can't be done because you have never done it before, think of it as a new opportunity to learn something new. 
• Instead of thinking that you will never get better at some task, convince yourself to keep trying until you get it right.

I'll never forget the first time that I tried to make homemade bread. It came out of the oven as a white and very hard brick. I didn't give up though. It took me several years of trying, but I finally made a rather good looking and tasty loaf of bread. Now, several decades later, I have no idea how to make that hard brick that I made the first time.

 Next, try surrounding yourself with positive scents and sounds. This, of course is a personal choice. I like vanilla and LeAnn Rimes music.

Learn to laugh and have fun. I have gotten in a habit of laughing whenever I drop or break something. Getting mad never fixes anything.

It becomes easier to have a positive attitude if you surround yourself with positive people.

Lastly, consider meditation. You will not find a happier group of people than those who practice meditation on a daily basis. The trick is to think of one thing, like a word, a prayer or your breath for about 5 minutes. Then,

1. Relax your body
2. Pay attention to your breath as your belly rises to allow you to slowly breath in
3. Let your belly slowly deflate to exhale, while still paying attention to your breath
4. If your mind starts to wander, just bring it back to paying attention to your breathing
5. Don't stop thinking. Just let your thoughts stay focused on your breathing or prayer.
6. Do this for 5 minutes every day

If you consciously practice positive thinking every day, you will greatly improve your heart's health and you overall fitness.

Charles

References:

Harvard School of Public Health: " Positive Feelings May Help Protect Cardiovascular Health "
CDC: " Leading Cause of Death "
Mayo Clinic: " Positive Thinking: Reduce stress by eliminating negative self-talk "
PsychCentral: " 15 Tips to Boost Your Well-Being and Happiness "
Emotional Toolkit: " The Meditative Arts "

Did You Know That Proper Breathing Techniques Can Reduce Your Blood Pressure

Do you know how to breathe properly?

Most of us simply do not know the proper breathing techniques to keep ourselves healthy and fit.

For most of my life, I thought that you should hold your stomach in and expand your chest to fill your lungs with as much air as possible. Believe it or not, this is the wrong way to breathe.

We should actually allow our stomach area to expand as we breathe in. This action lowers the diaphragm, which in turn allows more air to fill the lower parts of your lungs. This is important since the lowest part of your lungs contains blood with the highest oxygen content.

I have also learned that slow, deep breathes can help you reduce your blood pressure for low periods of time. Research has shown that taking fewer than 10 breaths a minute does reduce blood pressures in people who have mastered this slow breathing technique.

Researchers are not sure why this works, but they do have a theory.

When we take frequent, shallow breaths, we tend to hold our breath for a short period of time. This diverts more blood to our brain, which in turn changes our blood chemistry to a more acidic nature. This increase in blood acidity makes our kidneys less efficient at removing sodium from our bodies. This in turn increases our blood pressure over an extended period of time.

On the other hand, taking longer, deep breaths, maintains a more proper blood chemistry, which in turn allows our kidneys to remove excess sodium and reduce our blood pressure.

Proper Breathing Technique

1. Hold your chin up as you breathe in to keep the passage way to your lungs as open as possible
2. Place your hands over your abdomen to make sure that you are expanding your abdomen area as you breathe in
3. Try to reduce your breathing rate to 10 breaths per minute or less.
4. Slowly breath in by allowing your abdomen to expand
5. Once your lungs are full, slowly breathe out without holding your breath during the entire cycle
6. Repeat this exercise for 10 to 15 minutes each day
7. Eventually, your body will naturally start to breathe properly all the time

This is a great meditation exercise that will reap lots of health and fitness benefits. The best benefit in achieving the proper breathing technique is lower blood pressure. With a lower blood pressure comes the lower risk of heart disease and strokes. And all you have to do is breathe properly.

Charles

References:

The Telegraph: " Why do so few of us know how to breathe properly? "
MSNBC: " Breathe deep to lower blood pressure, doc says "

How To Improve Your Arterial Health and Knee Muscular Strength As You Age

What physical activity is proving to be an excellent way to maintain the health of your arteries and improve your muscular strength as you age?

Tai Chi

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has found that people who regularly practice Tai Chi have significantly higher arterial compliance, and greater muscular strength in both their knee extensors and flexors. These results are in comparison of people who do not practice Tai Chi.

Having greater arterial compliance is a fancy way of saying that Tai Chi practitioners have less stiffness in their arteries. Our arteries have a tendency to stiffen as we age. This can lead to increased blood pressure and reduced blood flow throughout our bodies. Improving arterial compliance is a way to keep our bodies young.

What is Tai Chi?

About twelve years ago, I had the opportunity to live in the Shanghai area for 13 months.

It was always interesting to watch the groups of elderly Chinese who would assemble on the sidewalks and go through their slow and deliberate, choreographed Tai Chi moves. Not only is it a great exercise program, but it is also a great way to stay socially connected with like-minded friends.

Tai Chi is actually "Tai Chi Chuan." It literally means "Supreme Ultimate Fist."

It is a type of Chinese martial art practiced for defense training. However, most practice the slow movement form of Tai Chi for its health benefits.

Tai Chi Benefits

According to the lead investigator, Dr. William Tsang, Tai Chi practitioners in comparison to those who do not practice this martial art form

1. Have better arterial compliance
2. Have better knee muscular strength

Dr. Tsang also states that Tai Chi has the added benefits of being able to be practiced anywhere and any time without the need for a gym or gym equipment. It is a great exercise program for the elderly for both vascular health and muscular strength improvements.

Tai Chi DVD


Element: Tai Chi for Beginners (amazon.com)

 Charles

References:

 ScienceDaily: "Older Subjects Who Regularly Practice Tai Chi Found To Have Better Arterial Compliance and Greater Muscle Strength"
Wikipedia: "Compliance"
Wikipedia: "Tai Chi Chuan"