Heart Problems and Your Weight

Today, a lot of significance is given to how much a person weighs. We go on a diet to improve our appearance according to what people think we should look like. Improved health and energy are other reasons we want to lose weight.

Should your heart be a point of concern, you should watch your weight. However, weight is not always about pounds. The proportion of your hips to waist is more important than what you weigh.

The American Heart Association warns us that a man with a larger than 40 inch waistline and women with a waist line larger than 35 inches are taking their chances on developing heart disease. If your waist to hip ratio is high, you’re at greater risk for heart disease than an overweight person with smaller proportions.

Visceral fat, a specific type of fat that is stored in your body, is what causes the higher likelihood of developing heart problems. This fat is located below your muscle and collects around your internal organs. Visceral fat is more stressful to your heart than any other accumulation of fat.

Among the problems it creates are high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and hypertension. In combination, these problems greatly increase the prospect of developing heart problems.

But one of the advantages of losing even a bit of weight from your abdomen is that it lowers your heart disease risk by a considerable amount. And surprisingly, a great way to specifically work on your waist area is by practicing yoga.

You don’t have to spend hours and hours at the gym every day, either. It’s possible to improve your health and achieve the results you want in just 20-40 minutes of exercise each day.

You can also decrease your waistline by eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. It’s best to cut out foods that are high in saturated or trans fat or high in sugar.

A healthier diet helps you to lose excess fat, and it also regulates your blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as lowering your cholesterol. Together, this addresses your worries about heart disease and is the path to a healthier heart.

Changing your waistline isn’t just about fitting into a new dress size or pant size. In fact, this type of change is about keeping your heart healthy so that you can live a long, high quality life.