Give Your Heart What It Deserves

With over 65 percent of the population considered obese, no doubt United States has heart disease as the number one killer disease. The numbers are rising alarmingly and the cost of health is slated to go up steeply in the near future. The trend refuses to ebb and is rapidly going from bad to worse. The government is concerned, and as a result it unveiled its new food pyramid that emphasizes on a well-balanced diet and a good deal of exercise.

While the exercise component to the pyramid was indeed new, so too was the outlook on a balanced diet. The new pyramid takes into account that not all members of a food group are equal. Certain vegetables might be better for you than others and so it is important to remember that you have to pay attention to which members of food groups you consume. The actual servings are not as important as what is in those servings.

That does not imply that you can continue with the same size of the servings and the traditional 3 meals per day, if you want to reduce weight. On the contrary, you should try to have three fairly light meals with two snacks during the day for best results. This will increase your metabolism and improve your chances for sustained weight loss.

Your metabolism reflects the speed at which your body's engine is running. The higher the metabolism, the more energy it takes to keep the body functioning normally. Thus, if you give long gaps between meals, the body naturally slows the metabolism to conserve more energy. And, if you eat meals more often and in smaller amounts it helps to keep the metabolism up and, consequently, lose weight.

You can increase your metabolism by physical exercise. Weight lifting is extremely beneficial for the heart and body because muscles burn more energy than any other tissue in your body. The basic principle is that the larger your muscles, the more energy you will burn throughout the day and that will help to maintain higher metabolism.

Apart from work outs, aerobic exercises such as jogging, biking, cross-country skiing and swimming also help maintain a strong heart and healthy body. You may not do them daily. In fact, it is best to perform aerobic exercises three days a week for about thirty minutes for best results. If you push too hard, you may land up with injuries that will discourage you from exercise altogether.

One of the best things that you can do for your heart and overall health is to drink plenty of water every day. Water is a natural purifier and helps remove toxins from your body. It is recommended that you drink half an ounce of water for every pound you weigh. Getting serious about your heart and its health now will lead to big benefits down the road including lowered medical costs, cleaner living, and simply feeling better about yourself than you do now. If you don't want to become another statistic, then make the changes to your diet and lifestyle necessary to a better heart and better living.

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Julia Pizer is the owner and operator of F heart, the best place on the internet for information about heart. For more articles on heart why not visit: www.fheart.com/articles
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