Their mission includes ending “chronic preventable disease in the U.S. by offering people and organizations a weekly prompt to start and sustain healthy behaviors.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States and also caused more than 1 of every 4 deaths in 2006. It is important that we know the risk factors for heart disease and do what we can to control them.

While some risk factors for heart disease are not modifiable, including age, genetics and family history, other risk factors can be modified. The main modifiable risk factors for heart disease include high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, high blood sugar levels and being overweight or obese.

Making healthy lifestyle changes can help improve these risk factors and reduce your risk for developing heart disease.

Not sure where to start? Try heading out for a brisk walk TODAY. Fill half your plate with veggies and fruits at each meal TODAY and control your portion sizes.

When was the last time you had your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure checked? TODAY may be a good day to schedule an appointment to check your risk factors for heart disease.

Make today a Healthy Monday!

Sources:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Heart Disease Facts

American Heart Association: Understand Your Risk for Heart Attack

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Warm-Up

The warm-up should include low-intensity, large-muscle group activity specific to the exercise to be performed. A warm-up of 5-10 minutes is usually adequate and can be followed by stretching. A good warm-up can help prevent injuries and other complications. Here’s what a good warm-up can do:

1. Increase muscle temperature.

2. Increase muscle blood flow.

3. Increase ease of dissociation of oxygen from hemoglobin.

4. Increase muscle enzyme activity.

5. Increase elasticity of muscle and connective tissue.

6. Decrease muscle viscosity.

Cool-Down

The cool-down should also includes large-muscle-group activity done for 5-10 minutes. It should be done in the low-moderate intensity range. Here’s what cooling down properly can do for your body:

1. Enhance blood return to heart.

2. Enhance body’s ability to transport metabolic byproducts away from muscle.

3. Allows for gradual return of heart rate and blood pressure to pre-exercise levels.

4. Good time to stretch and work on flexibility as muscle and connective tissue are more pliable.¹

Always make sure you plan time to warm-up and cool-down. Have fun!

1. Jeffrey L. Roitman ed., ACSM’s Certification Review, 2^nd ed (Baltimore: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2006), 158.

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The pain started about 6-7 weeks ago after I went on a long run. It was kind of a dull pain on the top of my foot/ankle and the pain got worse when I would flex my foot. I was a few weeks out from my tri and was still getting ready. I knew it was probably strained from overuse so I stopped running and iced it a few times a day for a week. It got better and I did the tri with no problems.

In the few weeks since the tri, I have been running my normal runs and my foot had been fine until last week. I went running a couple of times, I played soccer one night, and then played tennis on it the next night and that was too much for my not-quite-healed-all-the-way tendon. Now it’s back to the rest and ice for my anterior tibialis tendon.

Bottom Line: When you know you are injured, rest. It’s better for you.

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I will spare you the details, but basically a driver was on the phone and didn’t see me until the last second.  The driver hit his brakes and skidded a little but I never really was in danger because luckily I was paying attention and I had slowed down considerably to avoid getting hit.

Just pay attention when you drive.  I promise to do my part as a biker by obeying traffic rules, wearing a helmet, and riding responsibly and I ask you, Mr./Ms. Driver, to please drive responsibly.  Before you turn, check for bikers.  Before you pull out onto a road, check for bikers.  One of us might be there. 

We all thank you. 

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