New Study on Heart Health Proves "Use it or Lose it"

I don't know about you, but today comes news from the American College of Cardiology that I'm using to power my desire to exercise, when I head over to my gym, Equinox South Beach.

This comes from a new study which shows that regular physical exercise not only provides all the benefits we usually associate with it, but it also helps prevent your heart by growing weaker with age.

The study, presented this week at the American College of Cardiology's 60th Annual Scientific session, was the first to look at the effects of varying levels of lifelong exercise on heart mass. It showed that even elderly people who regularly exercised had hearts that were similar in mass to non-exercisers who were decades younger.

The study focused on heart muscle size, which peaks early in life and diminishes as you age. This kind of diminishing causes the heart muscle to stiffen, leading to a certain type of heart failure common in older people.

Other interesting findings this study turned up included the fact that the more exercise, the better. The elderly people whose hearts were the fittest were those who were committed exercisers (4-5 times a week) and master athletes (6-7 times a week).

So this means no more wimpy 2-3 times a week exercising for me -- I'll be at Equinox South Beach almost every day! See you in the kettle bell class!

More info: Andreas Heuser, Equinox Membership Advisor, 305-673-1172

Heart Health Party at Miami's Equinox Fitness Clubs

February is heart month, and so the three Miami area Equinox Fitness Clubs are holding a special evening event to showcase heart health. Plus, if you wear red, you can partake in special discounts. The event takes place at the on Monday, Feb. 28 from 6-9 p.m. at the three area clubs: South Beach, Coral Gables and Aventura.

"We love our members, and we care about them, so we want them to lead healthier lives," said Alicia Lee, Equinox's special events coordinator.

At the Coral Gables Equinox, two cardiologists and a dietician from South Miami Hospital will be on hand to give presentations. At the other two clubs, written material and other visuals will be presented. Chair massages will also be featured at all the clubs.

Trainers at all of the clubs will offer blood pressure screenings all day, and evening fitness classes will focus on cardiovascular fitness. In addition, patrons will be given special offers on VAP cholesterol testing, which offers more detailed information than standardized tests, and Vitamin B-12 shots, which they can obtain at a later time.

In addition, people who wear red will receive a 20 percent discount at the club's retail shop, and be entered in a raffle for spa services. Heart healthy snacks will also be offered, and donations will be taken on behalf of the American Heart Association.

For more information on Equinox, call Andreas Heuser, 305-673-1172

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Seminar on heart health and more on Feb. 24 in Dor...

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Seminar on heart health and more on Feb. 24 in Dor...: "February is heart month, and so I've asked two of the country's top motivational speakers to join me in a two of the country's top motivatio..."

Seminar on heart health and more on Feb. 24 in Doral

February is heart month, and so I've asked two of the country's top motivational speakers to join me in a two of the country's top motivational speakers to join me in a special seminar this Thursday, Feb. 24, in Doral, Fla.

Entitled "Keys to Success: Health, Courage and Living the Golden Life," I, along with Success Coach Lisa Jimenez and popular TV Host Lorna Owens, will speak on how women can regain their balance, take control, and get the most out of their lives.

My talk, "Healthy Heart/Healthy Body: It's that Simple" contains the message that I recently brought to the US Army War College, which trains the military elite. I've also spoken at Duke Medical Center, the University of Connecticut Medical Center, the Women in International Trade Miami Chapter, and at more than 50 hospitals and organizations around the country.

Lisa will speak on "Fighting Fear," which helps explore the hidden fears and self-limiting beliefs that may be holding you back, and she shows you how to break through and manifest success. She's built a multi-million dollar business and has sold over 1/4 million copies of her book "Conquering Fear."

Once a successful lawyer, Lorna decided to turn her life around and follow her dream, which is empowering other women. She's now a top strategist, life coach and author, who speaks around the world. She also hosts a live, popular women's program, "The Women's Institute," each second Saturday of the month at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove, and she's the founder of the Footprints Foundation, working in Democratic Republic of Congo.

For details, click here.

Protecting your heart with fiber helps protect your whole body, study shows

I'm just back from my Valentine's Day speaking engagement at the U.S. Army War College, which was an unforgettable experience. I got to give my message "Protect Your Heart, Protect Your Life --It's that Simple," to more than 100 of our country's finest military officers and spouses. I will write more about my experience at this historic site in the coming days.

Returning today, though, I logged on and found fresh news this morning that points out my key message -- that when you take action to keep your heart happy, your whole body is better off. This comes from a new government-funded study, which shows that eating fiber, which helps prevent heart disease, also helps you live longer. And, while the results were good for both men and women, the effect was even more pronounced in women.

The study, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that high intakes of fiber were associated with 24 to 56 percent reduction in cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases in men and 34 to 59 percent in women. The association was found with dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources like fruits.

So here's another reason to up your fiber intake. Just be careful and do it slowly, so your body can have time to adjust to it, or you may find your stomach speaking up in ways you don't appreciate!

As an award-winning author, national speaker, and the founder of National Women's Heart Health Day, I speak to to hospitals and organizations on preventing heart disease in women and men. I'd love to bring my message to your organization, so just click on my website, or email me at char@libov.com.

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: A Valentine's Day Message

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: A Valentine's Day Message: "This Feb. 14, I am spending Valentine's Day with our men and women in uniform at the U.S. Army War College. This is a very elite institution..."

A Valentine's Day Message

This Feb. 14, I am spending Valentine's Day with our men and women in uniform at the U.S. Army War College. This is a very elite institution and alumni include Generals George Patton, Norman Schwarzkopf, Tommy Franks, and many other men and women who have gone on to take strategic posts overseas.

I will be sharing these statistics with our men and women in uniform:
*Cardiovascular disease kills more women than men
*About 454,600 women die from cardiovascular disease each year
*About 370,000 women suffer first or recurrent heart attacks each year
*About 83,000 women who suffer heart attacks annually are under age 65
*Women heart attack survivors are more likely to die than are men
*Women who have heart attacks under the age of 50 are twice as likely to die
*Women are more likely than me to die following heart bypass surgery
* Nearly twice as many women than men are disabled by heart failure within six years of a heart attack

To learn more about bringing my message to your organization, contact me at char@libov.com.

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Wo...

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Wo...: "A study published this week is hailed as good news for women, because it found that a certain kind of implantable pacemaker/defibrillator wo..."

New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Women

A study published this week is hailed as good news for women, because it found that a certain kind of implantable pacemaker/defibrillator works a lot better in women than it does in men. This indeed was good news for women, but it was also valuable for men as well, because researchers can now use this information to improve on the device for men.

This study held a double meaning for me, because it yet again pointed out the importance of including women in medical studies. When I first began writing about heart disease in women, this was a very hot-button topic. It literally took a Congress to force researchers to include women routinely in their studies. This lack of research on women is also one key reason why heart disease was considered a "man's disease" for decades. Most of the studies had been done on men, and it was this research that made its way into the medical canon.

Obviously, the more research that is done including women, the more is learned. Such information is not only important for women, but for men as well. Researchers surmised that the reason the device may work better for women is that our hearts are smaller, so this may be very valuable for improving the devices for use on males.

Hey, I'm off to lecture on heart health in women at the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA for Valentine's Day, and I'll you all about that incredible experience when I return. In the meantime, if you'd like me to come to your business or organization to talk about ideas on women's health and fitness, just shoot me an email at char@libov.com.

Protect Your Heart 12 Months a Year

Today is Feb. 1, which is the start of Heart Month and my own National Women's Heart Health Day.

I first began writing about women's heart health after my own open-heart surgery back in the ancient days of the mid-1990s. Back then, there were no Women's heart observances; indeed, when I turned my focus on this topic, the American Heart Association wasn't even keeping statistics on women. It literally took an Act of Congress to get women included in medical studies.

Now, of course, it's much different. I lecture around the country on heart health and visit hospital with established cardiac programs for women. Wearing red in February is a national craze, and there are major promotions, at Macy's and the like.

The downside of all this? The fact is that heart attacks don't strike women only in February; heart disease is a concern year-around. So, while I applaud the emphasis on heart disease this month, don't overlook the importance if heart health 360 days a year.

Protect your heart, Protect your Life. It's that simple!

Remember: I'll be spending Valentine's Day at the U.S. Army War College, teaching our troops how to care for their hearts. If you want to bring me to your organization of group to talk about how protecting your heart protects you from cancer, diabetes, stroke and more, shoot me an email at char@libov.com

Jack Lalanne: Women's Health Hero!

Jack Lalanne died at the age of 96 this week, and there have been many tributes to him. But I haven't heard of him being spoken of as a women's health hero. But that's how I think of him.

When Lalanne begin spreading his fitness gospel, there were few out there doing likewise. The kind of fitness he championed -- using weights, pushing yourself to the limit, was initially viewed as "too much," for men, so certainly it wasn't a message for women, who were thought of back then as being delicate.

But that's the thing about Jack Lalanne - he never differentiated. He had no separate messages for men, or for women. Or for you people, or those who were older. When he talked about health and fitness, he was talking about all of us -- men, women, kids -- even his beloved white German Shepard, Happy. Living a healthy lifestyle was for everyone.

And genetics? Don't get Jack started. His father died at 50. But, as he said in an interview when he was 91, "I don't care how long I live. I just want to be LIVING while I am living. I want to be able to do things. I want to look good, and I want to get my message out to the people."

And so he did -- he got his message out to ALL of the people. Thanks, Jack!

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Lowering Blood Pressure Benefits Women Most

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Lowering Blood Pressure Even More Beneficial For W...: "It's long been known that high blood pressure and heart disease are linked, so I found myself eying a news item on a new study that finds lo..."

Lowering Blood Pressure Even More Beneficial For Women

It's long been known that high blood pressure and heart disease are linked, so I found myself eying a news item on a new study that finds lowering blood pressure in women results in heart health with a quizzical eye. "Why is this news?" I wondered. (Of course, with a 24-hour news cycle, EVERYTHING is news).

But then I read beyond the headlines, and I found some important news indeed. What this study found is that paring high blood pressure reduced heart disease risk by over one-third (36%) in women, so it's an even more major risk factor than was thought. In fact, that's a greater decrease in heart disease for women than for men. (The percentage for men, which was only 24 percent, but Don't let that "only" fool you guys, as 24 percent is a hefty number indeed).

The study also found that it doesn't take much of an increase in blood pressure to hike up risk; a relatively small increase of 15 points in systolic blood pressure (that's the upper number in a blood pressure reading) increased the risk of heart disease by a whopping 52 percent in women and 32 percent in men.

High blood pressure also raises the risk of stroke and heart failure. So if you think you might have high blood pressure, or if you haven't had it checked in awhile, see your doctor. Experts recommend an annual check, unless your at risk for heart disease.

The study was published in Hypertension, a publication of the American Heart Association.

The ideas, procedures and suggestions contained in this blog are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Fitness Guru Jack Lalanne's Joyful Spirit Will Li...

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Fitness Guru Jack Lalanne's Joyful Spirit Will Li...: "Although Jack Lalanne shaped his life trying to inspire Americans to exercise, I find myself thinking about some of the other lessons that c..."

Fitness Guru Jack Lalanne's Joyful Spirit Will Live On

Although Jack Lalanne shaped his life trying to inspire Americans to exercise, I find myself thinking about some of the other lessons that can be learned upon the death of this great man. And not all of them have to do with fitness.

It is beyond dispute that Lalanne was a pioneer, who urged not only men, but also women, to leap off the coach and pick up some weights. This was in the days when, although it was acceptable for men to heft weights, it was thought that women were far too delicate for such pursuits.

In addition, I was stuck by the fact that, years ago, Jack Lalanne invented many of the machines used at today's gym. He lacked the foresight to patent his designs, though, and others reaped the profit. He was never bitter, though, he only urged his viewers to practice happiness. "People have everything, but they have lost the ability to smile," he lamented. "What's the good to wear fine clothes, and drive fancy cars if you're miserable all the time?"

Judging from accounts of his passing, he lived his message until he drew his last breath. We can only be inspired to do the same.

Know your family risk factors for heart disease

Recently, I interviewed Gloria, a vibrant former soldier and athlete who, at 40, is busy training to run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon. She is slender and fit, and, by looking at her, it is impossible to tell that she underwent coronary bypass surgery three years ago to avoid a potentially fatal heart attack, but that is indeed the case.

In fact, the cardiologist that she consulted laughed at her. But, thankfully, he also took her seriously, even though he was surprised when her test results showed she did have severe coronary heart disease.

What Gloria and her doctor didn't realize at the time was that, although she was slender and fit, her family medical history showed that she was indeed at serious risk for a heart attack.

"It turned out that everyone on my mom's side had heart disease, high blood pressure and/or diabetes. Out of my mom's eight siblings, only two have survived. The rest all died between the ages of 37-65," she says.

Gloria's experience shows the importance of knowing your family history. Family history is a very important clue to the possibility that you may have inherited a tendency for heart disease. And, as I note in my book, "Beat Your Risk Factors," when you do your family medical history, keep in mind these key points:

1) Both your relatives on your father's side and your mother's side count.

2) Divide your relatives into first-degree (parents and siblings), second-degree (grandparents, aunts and uncles) and third-degree relatives (first cousins and great-grandparents). First-degree relatives generally count most.

3) Pay attention to age. Generally, the earlier a disease occurs, the more likely it is there may be an inherited component. Typically, women develop heart disease 10-15 years later than men, so their risk increases when they reach 55-60 years old. So pay attention if you have close female relatives who suffered heart attacks or were diagnosed with heart disease significantly younger than that.

Knowing your family history provides you with the opportunity to take steps to make sure that you don't die from what killed your parents.

I discuss family history in the talks I give throughout the country on Preventing Heart Disease in Women. For more information, visit Women's Health Hot Line.