Be Fit NH » cholesterol

The Healthy Effects of Red Wine

Donna — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:48:29 +0000

Over the past ten years there have been numerous studies on the healthy effects of red wine, which we’ve heard snipets about on the news or read about in the paper. My clients sometimes ask me about it, so I’ve looked into it. My own research has determined that there are three particular types of wine that produce those positive benefits. They are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir, in that order. The benefits include: reducing ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, increasing ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and reducing harmful blood clots. All are obviously good for your cardiovascular system.

The studies identified specific amounts too. For women it’s one 4 ounce glass per day, and for men it’s one or two 4 ounce glasses per day. The studies also point out that this applies to ‘otherwise healthy individuals’. Which means that if you already have cardiovascular disease, or any other disease including alcoholism, you should not assume that you will reap the same benefits and should speak with your treating physician about it.

Researchers have also found that the antioxidant in red wine inhibits tumor development in some cancers and aided in nerve cell formation, which can be helpful in treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Most recent studies, identified one more area: liver disease.

Researchers determined that one glass of red wine a day may reduce the the odds of a liver disease known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by 50%. This is a relatively new development, so we may be hearing much more about it in the future.

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Aerobic Training, another major component of exercise…

Donna — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:40:56 +0000

Aerobic training or cardio training is one of the three major elements of a good quality fitness routine. It can be the most important for certain groups of people. It’s the one way to reduce cholesterol, and the major way to drive down blood sugar on a regular basis for diabetics. It’s important for those with any type of heart disease (with your doctors blessing of course) to increase cardiovascular fitness and strengthen the heart muscle. It’s important for everyone to do in order to burn calories and to strengthen and maintain a strong heart muscle. It also helps to reduce stress, you can actually feel your frustrations melt away with the sweat coming out of your pores!

To make the best of your aerobic workout you need a heart rate monitor. To calculate your aerobic range, which is 60% to 85% of your maximum heart rate, you deduct your age from 220, then take that number which is your maximum heart rate and multiply it by .60 and .85 arriving at your aerobic range. Using the heart rate monitor, exercise with your heart rate between those two numbers for a minimum of 30 minutes three times per week. As your heart becomes stronger, you should work up to four times per week, or go to 45 minutes three times per week to get the best results.

You can use a road bike or a stationary bike, the streets or the treadmill or any of those machines lining the walls of the gym, just choose your favorites and get going! Just for fun try every one of the machines for 10 minutes each the next time you’re at the gym.

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