Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to go for regular health checkups.
High Blood Cholesterol
Cholesterol, a fat-like substance, can build up with other substances in the inner walls of arteries. Plaque forms and can narrow these blood vessels. Plaque that ruptures causes blood clots. If a clot blocks a blood vessel to the heart, it causes a heart attack. If it blocks a vessel to the brain, it causes a stroke.
Tobacco Smoke
Women who smoke are more likely to die from heart disease or stoke. The good news is that when you stop smoking – no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked – your risk of heart disease starts to drop. It is cut in half after one year without smoking, and then continues to decline until it’s as low as a non smoker’s risk.
Health experts caution that even brief exposure to second-hand smoke can increase blood clotting and contract the blood vessels which are the key heart risk factors. Studies done in the U.S. confirmed that smoke-free laws played a role in cutting heart risks. Encourage your friends not to smoke. Engage them in fun-filled activities to destress and take their minds off their cigarettes.
Physical Inactivity
Did you know that a physically active person is approximately 1.5 times less likely to develop heart disease and 30 – 50% less likely to be hypertensive?
The motive is not to lose weight; rather it’s to keep your body moving. If exercise is not currently a regular part of your life, here are some simple tips to help you incorporate it into your routine:
Obesity
If you have too much body fat – especially in the waist area – your risk increases for heart disease. Though the Body Mass Index (BMI) is one indicator of your weight and health, it is also just as important to focus on other obesity markers such as body fat, visceral fat and waist circumference.
Diabetes
Most of the food we eat turns into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose enter our bodies’ cells. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should, or both. This causes your blood glucose levels to become too high. Women with diabetes have two to four times the risk of death from heart disease and stroke than women who don’t have diabetes.
The Risk Factors
High Blood PressureUncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to go for regular health checkups.
High Blood Cholesterol
Cholesterol, a fat-like substance, can build up with other substances in the inner walls of arteries. Plaque forms and can narrow these blood vessels. Plaque that ruptures causes blood clots. If a clot blocks a blood vessel to the heart, it causes a heart attack. If it blocks a vessel to the brain, it causes a stroke.
Tobacco Smoke
Women who smoke are more likely to die from heart disease or stoke. The good news is that when you stop smoking – no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked – your risk of heart disease starts to drop. It is cut in half after one year without smoking, and then continues to decline until it’s as low as a non smoker’s risk.
Health experts caution that even brief exposure to second-hand smoke can increase blood clotting and contract the blood vessels which are the key heart risk factors. Studies done in the U.S. confirmed that smoke-free laws played a role in cutting heart risks. Encourage your friends not to smoke. Engage them in fun-filled activities to destress and take their minds off their cigarettes.
Physical Inactivity
Did you know that a physically active person is approximately 1.5 times less likely to develop heart disease and 30 – 50% less likely to be hypertensive?
The motive is not to lose weight; rather it’s to keep your body moving. If exercise is not currently a regular part of your life, here are some simple tips to help you incorporate it into your routine:
- Start slowly and begin with relatively low-intensity exercises such as walking.
- Gradually progress to more vigorous activities as your fitness improves.
- Choose physical activities which you enjoy so that exercising does not become a chore.
- Be careful not to over exert yourself.
Obesity
If you have too much body fat – especially in the waist area – your risk increases for heart disease. Though the Body Mass Index (BMI) is one indicator of your weight and health, it is also just as important to focus on other obesity markers such as body fat, visceral fat and waist circumference.
Diabetes
Most of the food we eat turns into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose enter our bodies’ cells. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should, or both. This causes your blood glucose levels to become too high. Women with diabetes have two to four times the risk of death from heart disease and stroke than women who don’t have diabetes.
