Water and Heart Health

Water and Heart Health

Water makes up over 80% of our body so it stands to reason that keeping ourselves full of this basic necessity is important for normal body function.  Water is essential for healthy function of muscle tissue so we are going to shine the spotlight on the most important muscle in your body, your heart!

A study that appeared in the American Journal of Epidemiology followed 20,000 adults for 6 years and found that those people who drank 5 or more 8 ounce glasses of water a day had a significantly lower risk of dying from a heart attack than those who drank less than 2 glasses.  When broken down by gender, men had a 54% reduced risk of heart attack when drinking 5 or more glasses while women reduced theirs by 41%! It should also be noted that large consumption of liquids other than water resulted in women being twice as likely to have a heart attack and men increasing the risk by 46%.  While this is one study, and further exam is warranted, the heart health benefits of water cannot be denied. 

Why is it so good for our hearts?

Keeping our body hydrated helps thin the blood. Thinner blood means that the heart has to work less to pump blood through our blood vessels, reducing blood pressure.

Water helps maintain the myofascial tissue that supports and helps normal muscle function.  Normal muscle contractions are essential to help squeeze blood from our extremities back to the heart and lungs.

Lack of water has been shown to increase levels of the stress hormone Cortisol in the body.  Increased stress has been linked to increased incidences of heart attack.

Water has been shown to help with weight control.  Obesity increases the work load of the heart by increasing the volume of the blood that needs to be pumped, causes increased “bad” cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and increases the risk of developing diabetes which can increase heart attack risk.

These are just a few of the health benefits of water but the list goes on and on. Your heart is the hardest working organ in your body, why not make his job a little easier?

-Ryan Schaul, MPT

Helping your Valentine stay “Heart Healthy”

Valentine’s Day is over and we gave our hearts to the people we love most in our lives.  What better time of year to make sure that the heart we gave so freely is the healthiest heart it can be?  Sometimes the people we care about most need a little help and encouragement in recognizing the habits they should embrace to improve their cardiovascular health so that they can be around for many Valentine’s Days to come!  Here are some ideas to help make improving heart health a shared effort  that can help improve your wellbeing in addition to bringing you closer together with your spouse or loved ones.

Grocery shop together!

Pick certain nights of the week where you each get to pick a healthy recipe to try for dinner that night.  Take your spouse to the grocery store to pick out the ingredients for the meal.  Once the ingredients are gathered, cook together as a couple or a family.  Since you are spending more time in the kitchen now, take time to re-organize the kitchen together.  Replacing less healthy foods with more nutritious options or making them less conspicuous so they are not your first choice when searching for a snack.

Exercise together!

Who says your workout buddy cannot be your spouse?  Sign up to take a class together, or if you are already taking a class, invite your spouse or significant other to see what it is like.  Find something that you both enjoy and you will be more likely to stick with it, all the while spending time together!

Make it a date!

Instead of going out for dinner at a restaurant where it is easy to have your efforts sabotaged, take your spouse out dancing or some other physical activity.  Go for a bike ride or a long walk to get some exercise and get closer with each other.  And keep in mind that being intimate is an excellent form of exercise and decreases stress too!

So this month, make it a point for you and your valentine to implement one of these ideas into your routine.  Hopefully it will lead you both to a more heart healthy lifestyle while bringing you closer together.

- Ryan Schaul, MPT