Heart Health

In this issue:• Get-in-shape tips: Starting an

exercise routine

• Interval training: Mix it up and save time

• DASH diet to lower blood pressure

• 6 major risk factors for coronary artery disease

Get-in-shape tips: Starting an exercise routineThat first step is the hardest, but it can start you on the road to wellness as you develop healthy habits for life.

You know that exercising can help you lose weight, boost your heart health and even reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But if you’ve never been active before, it can be hard to get started.

The keys to taking that first step are to be prepared and have reasonable expectations. If you have a plan, you are more likely to stick to a routine.

It helps to consider the wide variety of activities available to you. Choose a sport or a pursuit that you are interested in. The best exercise is the one you will do regularly. Make it a part of your day that you look forward to!

Be sure your plan includes the basics of a healthy workout:

• Warming up and cooling down. Whatever exercise you choose, be sure to factor a warm-up and cool-down period into your workout. A good warm-up gets your body

ready for more intense activity. The easiest way to warm up is to do an aerobic activity at a slower pace for a few minutes. You can cool down the same way.

• Stretching. People in a hurry to get their workout completed often skip this step after exercise. Proper stretching may help increase flexibility and improve range of motion and performance.

• Setting goals. Over time, you want to meet or exceed the federal guidelines established by fitness experts. The guidelines for adults call for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. Try to exercise most, if not all, days of the week. You should work up to at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (e.g., brisk walking) every week AND muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).

Are you ready?

Any new exercise plan should start with a visit to your doctor. Discuss whether you’re ready to start getting more active. If you have a health condition or a disability, ask if you should take any special precautions when you exercise. If you smoke, set a quit date so you can get even more benefit from an exercise routine.

At home or at a gym?

Exercising at home is more economical and convenient for many people. But it requires self-discipline. You can easily be distracted by household needs that seem more pressing. A club or gym costs more, but it offers the stimulation of other people. In addition, most clubs offer a range of activities.

Don’t forget your friends and neighbors. They may want to form a walking club or join you in a new physical activity.

Heart Health

What’s at play here is your exercise personality. Find the activity you enjoy and the setting where you’ll be most comfortable.

Have you set realistic goals?

Many people make the mistake of jumping into vigorous exercise in the hopes of faster results. If you start out too hard, you could get overly tired and discouraged. It takes time to build stamina, and it takes will power to stick to a routine. A slow and steady start can help you stay with your plan for the long haul and avoid burnout.

Take that first step today. It can help make your tomorrows even better.

SOURCES:• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2008 physical

activity guidelines for Americans. Accessed: 08/08/2014• American Council on Exercise. Fit life. Do you know your exercise

personality? Accessed: 08/08/2014• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Starting an exercise

program. Accessed: 08/08/2014Copyright © 2014 myOptumHealth

Here are some questions to considerwhen building an exercise plan:

Interval training: Mix it up and save time Interval training challenges your body with bursts of vigorous activity. That can mean shorter workouts and other benefits.

You’re busy. Physical activity can be hard to fit in, right? One way to maximize your time is with interval training.

Interval training isn’t just for competitive athletes. Sure, they may use it to gain an edge. But you can use it to shorten your workouts and maybe whittle your middle.

The basics Interval training simply means varying your intensity during your workout session. Alternate bursts of higher-intensity exercise with low-to-moderate intensity intervals. The less-intense period is called “active recovery.”

Here are some examples of interval workouts:

• Walking: Add short bursts of brisk walking to your walking program. You may go by time — 30 seconds of fast walking, for example. Or distance — a few houses or a block at a time. Decide when to pick up the pace by gauging how you feel. Remember, walking is an excellent activity for many people.

• Running: Run hard for one minute and then jog slowly for two minutes. Repeat until you reach your goal time.

• Stair climbing: Walk slowly up and down a set of stairs. Now rush up and down the stairs. Repeat several times.

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The benefits Interval training gets you out of your comfort zone. It adds challenge and variety to your workout. Interval training also:

• Saves time. Your goal is to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week. One minute of vigorous activity is about the same as two minutes of moderate activity. So adding those bursts of intensity can really save you time. Just try to maintain activity for at least 10 minutes at a time.

• Burns more calories and fat. Vigorous activity takes more energy than moderate activity. So, 30 minutes of interval training will burn more calories than 30 minutes at a steady pace. It may also boost your post-workout metabolism and reduce belly fat.

• Boosts aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Interval training helps your body use more oxygen. And in time, you may be able to sustain those bursts of intense work longer.

• Tackles boredom. Intervals can freshen a tired workout routine. Need a distraction? You can make up your intervals on the fly.

• Improves health. Interval training may improve insulin sensitivity and lower fasting levels. It may also lead to better heart function in people with heart conditions.

Amp up your workout routine

Interval training is safe for most people, but it does carry a risk of injury. If you are physically inactive or have a health condition, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy or other symptoms, check with your doctor before starting an exercise program or increasing your activity level. He or she can tell you what types and amounts of activities are safe and suitable for you.

High-intensity exercise has a higher risk of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular injuries. Be sure to check with your doctor before adding it to your exercise routine.

Interval training is not a daily program. Keep it to one or two workouts a week. More than that raises your chance of injury. And don’t do it more than about six weeks at a time.

One more caution: Be sure to allow enough active recovery time. Pushing too hard can lead to injury. Make your recovery time at least as long as your intense spurt.

Adding speed to your workout is just one way to interval train. You could also:

• Add an incline. If you use a treadmill, raise the incline during your intense spurts. Or exercise on a hilly route outdoors.

• Add weight. If you use a stationary bike or elliptical trainer, turn up the resistance a few notches to add intensity.

How can you tell if you’re at high intensity? One way is the talk test. During moderate activity, you should be able to talk but not sing. During vigorous activity, you won’t be able to say more than a few words at a time.

Interval training can be an efficient way to get results.And if you turn it into a game, it can even be fun! So with your doctor’s OK, consider pushing yourself a bit on your next walk, run or ride.

SOURCES:• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measuring physical

activity intensity. Accessed: 05/06/2013• American Council on Exercise. High-intensity interval training.

Accessed: 05/06/2013 • American Council on Exercise. Interval training. Accessed:

05/06/2013• American College of Sports Medicine. For all-day metabolism

boost, try interval training. Accessed: 05/06/2013Copyright © 2014 myOptumHealth.

Heart Health

DASH diet to lowerblood pressureAn eating plan rich in fruits, veggies and whole grains can help control hypertension. Are you one of the millions of Americans with high blood pressure? You may think that managing it includes a life of boring foods and rigid self-discipline. Not so! You can have delicious meals and snacks that can actually help lower your blood pressure.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, makes your heart work harder than it should. It puts extra pressure on your blood vessels and organs.

Research by the nation’s top scientists has shown that an eating plan called DASH can lower blood pressure. DASH is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It focuses on adding tasty, nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.

DASH isn’t just for people with high blood pressure. It’s an overall healthy, wholesome, high-fiber eating plan than can also help improve cholesterol levels. All of these healthy changes may help lower your risk for cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.

So what IS the DASH eating plan?DASH focuses on healthy foods commonly available at the grocery store. How much you should eat depends on how many calories you need each day. This amount is influenced by your age, gender and level of activity.

DASH is high in vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products; whole grains, poultry, seafood (especially fatty fish) and nuts. It is low in red and processed meats, trans and saturated fats, sweets and sugary drinks.

Sodium (salt) intake is known to contribute to high blood pressure. Adults who would benefit from lower blood pressure should consume no more than 2,400 mg per day of dietary sodium. Even more benefits can be seen when sodium is limited to 1,500 mg a day.

Most Americans consume far more sodium than that, mostly from processed foods and eating out. If your current diet contains lots of sodium, start by cutting it by at least 1,000 mg a day. That should help bring your blood pressure down as you work toward more desirable levels. Check the sodium content on Nutrition Facts labels and on restaurant menus and choose foods lower in sodium.

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Heart Health

6 major risk factors forcoronary artery diseaseDiscover what makes you vulnerable to heart disease — and how to protect yourself from this leading cause of death.In everyday life, you have a better chance of avoiding danger if you know what it looks like. Understanding what coronary artery disease (CAD) is and your risk factors for it is no different.

Coronary arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Coronary artery disease occurs when a buildup called plaque sticks to the artery walls. Over time, the arteries narrow and can become blocked. The heart gets starved for oxygen.

CAD is the leading cause of death in this country.Still, many people don’t know they have it until they have chest pain or a heart attack. And less commonly, sometimes people with CAD have no pain.

Knowing your risk factors and taking steps to improve your health may help delay or even prevent CAD. Some risk factors are out of your control. Those include your age, gender or family history of heart disease. Having these risk factors doesn’t mean that you will develop CAD. Instead, try to lower the risk factors within your control.

SOURCES: • U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary guidelines for Americans,

2010. Accessed: 08/08/2014 • Eckel RH, Jakicic JM, Ard JD, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC guideline on

lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk. Circulation. 2013; doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000437740.48606.d1. Accessed: 08/08/2014

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium: The facts. Accessed: 08/08/2014

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What is the DASH eating plan? Accessed: 08/08/2014

Copyright © 2014 myOptumHealth.

Fitting DASH into your lifestyleTry to work more DASH foods into your meals. Add a variety of veggies to lunch or dinnertime salads and soups. Snack on cut-up veggies. Increase vegetable portions of casseroles while decreasing meat portions. Add beans and peas to salads, soups and casseroles.

Choose whole-grain versions of breads, cereals and pastas. And go for low-fat or fat-free dairy.

If you take medicines to control high blood pressure, don’t stop taking them. But tell your doctor that you’re following the DASH eating plan. Together you can monitor progress in your blood pressure as you make healthier food choices.

What are the risk factors?

Here are the six major controllable risk factors for coronary artery disease:

• Tobacco smoke. A smoker’s risk of developing CAD is two to four times that of nonsmokers. If you have CAD, smoking cigarettes can put you at higher risk for sudden cardiac death.

This is a fatal heart attack where the heart stops beating. People who smoke cigars or pipes are also at higher risk for CAD.

• High cholesterol levels. The higher your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol, the greater your risk of CAD. Your doctor can check your cholesterol. He or she may recommend a diet and exercise program to help lower your levels. The doctor may also want you to take medicine.

• High blood pressure. High blood pressure makes the heart work too hard. Over time, the heart muscle thickens and stiffens. High blood pressure combined with another risk factor like smoking, high cholesterol or obesity greatly raises the risk of heart attack.

• Diabetes. With diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or does not use it properly. That results in high blood sugar (glucose) levels. An estimated 65 percent of people with diabetes die from some form of coronary disease. If you have diabetes, it’s very important to follow your doctor’s instructions and manage your blood sugar levels well.

• Excess weight. Even if you have no other risk factors, carrying excess body fat puts you at greater risk for heart disease. Carrying your extra weight at the waist further raises your risk. Other risk factors can be the direct result of obesity. If you’re overweight, you can lower your risk for CAD by losing as little as 10 percent of your current weight.

• Physical inactivity. When you are physically active, you take an important step in lowering your risks for CAD. Moderate exercise or physical activity has a positive impact if done regularly over time.

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How can you lower your risk?

Your heart will thank you if you do all that you can to eliminate risk factors. Aim to:

• Stop smoking, if you smoke. Ask your doctor for help with quitting. Avoid secondhand smoke.

• Eat a balanced, heart-friendly diet. Focus on foods low in added sugars, solid fats, salt and refined grains. Eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy and lean proteins such as low-mercury seafood or skinless poultry.

• Aim for a healthy weight. Work with your health care team on a plan that will maximize your success.

• Get moving. Regular physical activity is good for you. It can help lower your risk of CAD.

Note: If you are physically inactive or have a health condition such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy or other symptoms, check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. He or she can tell you what types of activities are safe and suitable for you.

SOURCES:• National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. What is coronary heart

disease? Accessed: 08/06/2013• National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. What is sudden cardiac arrest?

Accessed: 08/06/2013• National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. Exploring coronary heart

disease. Who is at risk for coronary heart disease? Accessed: 08/06/2013Copyright © 2014 myOptumHealth.

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