Stay fit all year round


9 Secrets to a Healthier Heart

They all help cut your risk of heart disease,production of nitric oxide, a substance that
the top cause of death among women. Are youhelps fight plaque. There are plenty of tasty
ready  to  drink  milk  and  groove  to jazz?ways to take your medicine: More than 130
pomegranate products were introduced in 2006.
Heart problems? Me? If that's your reaction
when you hear all of the healthy-heart
messages during American Heart Month in5.  Sprinkle  on  the  soy
February, here's a wake-up call: Fact is,
heart disease kills far more women each yearA daily dash of dark soy sauce (not light) in
than cancer does. It's also true thatmarinades, dipping sauces, salad dressing, or
preventing heart problems is getting easier.soups and stews can help fight heart-damaging
Health gathered the latest tricks ”allsubstances linked to smoking, obesity, or
backed by solid research” to take carediabetes, according to research from the
of  your  heart.National University of Singapore. The sauce
has 10 times the antioxidants in wine, which
1.  Get  milkis also heart-healthy (in moderation). But
watch out: Soy sauces often have a ton of
A new study sponsored by the National Heart,salt, which can raise blood pressure. Check
Lung, and Blood Institute found that, amonglabels  for  lower-salt  versions.
people who didn't eat a lot of saturated fat,
those who consumed more than three daily6.  Laugh  it  up
servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese had
systolic blood pressure (the top number)Something for your funny bone: People who
almost four points lower than those who atewatched comedy films like There's Something
only half a serving daily. High bloodAbout Mary had better blood flow, compared
pressure can damage your arteries, increasingwith those who watched dramas like Saving
your risk for heart attacks and stroke.Private Ryan, according to a study at the
Researchers say low-fat dairy is the smartUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine in
choice, because it's lower in saturated fat.Baltimore. Principal researcher Michael
Miller, MD, director of the Center for
2.  Try  new  movesPreventive Cardiology, recommends 15 minutes
of  daily  laughter.
Thirty minutes of Tai Chi ”a gentle
Chinese martial art that includes sequencesDon't have enough time for movies or sitcoms?
of slow, relaxing movements ”may alsoGet your giggles anytime from YouTube's
lower your blood pressure. In one study,comedy  section  (youtube.com/categories).
after 12 weeks of Tai Chi, participants
showed a decrease in systolic pressure of7.  Don't  skimp  on  sleep
almost 16 points. To find a class in your
area,  visit  Taoist.org.Women who sleep less than 5 hours each night
have a 30 percent higher risk of heart
3.  Go  fishingdisease than those getting 8 hours, according
to a study from the Brigham and Women's
How fast your heart beats when you're at restHospital in Boston. Too little sleep may play
can be an indicator of heart attack risk. Inhavoc with your hormones, blood sugar, and
fact, higher resting heart rates have beenblood pressure. So after getting your 15
linked to an increased risk of sudden death.minutes of laughs, turn off that PC and turn
The good news is that eating fish can lowerin.
your heart rate. In a new Harvard Medical
School study, people who ate five or more8.  Breathe  deeper
servings per month of fish such as tuna or
salmon (baked or broiled) averaged 3.2 fewerYou can lower your blood pressure by taking
beats per minute than those who ate less than10 breaths per minute (instead of the usual
one serving per month. Researchers credit the16 to 19) for 15 minutes a day over 2 months,
omega-3 fatty acids in fish, though it's notstudies show. Researcher David Anderson, PhD,
clear how they help. (Our Kitchen Assistanta hypertension expert at the National
search tool can help you find dozens ofInstitute on Aging, says shallow breathing
healthy  and  delicious  fish  recipes.)(more beats per minute) may delay your body's
excretion of salt, a high-blood-pressure
4.  Hit  the  juicetrigger.
Pomegranate juice seems to stave off9.  Feel  the  beat
hardening of the arteries ”and may even
reverse it. A recent study in the ProceedingsA group of University of Oxford researchers
of the National Academy of Sciences foundfound that slow, meditative musical rhythms
that pomegranate juice reduced the rate ofcan lead to a healthy drop in heart rate,
cholesterol plaque buildup in mice by 30while faster rhythms speed up breathing and
percent. And heart cells treated with thecirculation. Got Sheryl Crow on your iPod?
juice showed a 50 percent increase in theTry mixing in some smooth jazz, too.



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