 Healthy Heart, Healthy JointsIf you’ve read this newsletter before, you know that we take a holistic approach to joint health. We believe that by taking care of yourself inside and out, you’ll not only improve your joint health, you’ll also impact your overall health. After all, many of the habits that support healthy joints are also good for the rest of your body. So in honor of American Heart Month, we decided to explore some simple things you can do to be good to your heart and your joints.Exercise Regularly Do it for your heart. Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day will help your heart in a number of ways. First off, exercise boosts your heart rate and gets the blood flowing through your veins. Regular physical activity also helps to keep your weight in check, which will in turn reduce your risk of heart disease. And let’s not forget that exercise helps to manage stress and supports healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, all of which play an important role in heart health. Do it for your joints. In addition to all that it does for your heart, exercise works your joints, helping to keep them strong and flexible. By exercising regularly, you’ll improve your joint health while helping to prevent future deterioration. And with each pound that you lose, you’ll also alleviate unnecessary stress on your joints. Watch What You Eat Do it for your heart. When it comes to your heart, a healthy diet is key. Start by watching your intake of trans fat and saturated fat, which will help keep your cholesterol and triglycerides in check. Limit your intake of red meat and stick with lean forms of protein like fish, skinless poultry, beans and low-fat dairy foods. In addition to avoiding the bad fats, focus on getting more healthy fats in your diet. Good sources include foods like nuts, olive oil and fatty types of fish like salmon. This will help reduce your levels of LDL cholesterol, the “bad cholesterol,” while boosting your levels of HDL cholesterol, the “good” kind. Eating healthy also helps to curb high blood pressure, another key risk factor for heart disease. In addition to watching the types of fat you eat, focus on eating plenty of nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and fruit, which are naturally low in fat and calories. And for added nutrients, replace refined grains with whole grains whenever possible. Do it for your joints. Your joints need the nourishment of a healthy, well-rounded diet just like the rest of your body. Take protein, for example. This amino acid is an essential building block for cartilage and muscle, two things that support and protect your joints. By eating lean sources of protein, like beans and skinless poultry, you’re helping to feed your joints. And that’s just one example of how the foods you eat affect your joint health. Other good choices include fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with joint-friendly antioxidants, and fatty fish and nuts, which boast omega-3 fatty acids that may help ease discomfort. Keep Your Weight in Check Do it for your heart. The evidence is clear: being overweight puts you at a much higher risk for heart problems. And with heart disease statistics on the rise, watching your weight is more important than ever. In addition to your weight, experts say you should pay particular attention to two other related numbers. The first is your waist size, and the second is your body mass index (or BMI), which is determined by your height-to-weight ratio. Studies show that carrying extra fat in your midsection or having a high BMI significantly increases your risk for heart disease. But by exercising, eating healthy and watching your weight, you can help keep all three numbers — weight, waist size and BMI — in check. Do it for your joints. Being overweight makes it harder to get out and do the things you want to do each day. And that includes exercise, which is so vital for the health of your joints. If you’re carrying extra weight on your frame, you’re also putting additional strain on your joints, particularly the ones in your knees, which can worsen joint discomfort. But the good news is that with each pound that you lose, you’ll help to alleviate soreness in your joints while improving your joint health. Quit Smoking Do it for your heart. If you smoke, you probably don’t need us to point out that it’s bad for your heart and your lungs. Chances are, you already know that. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth repeating. Smoking cigarettes greatly increases your risk for heart disease, lung cancer and a number of other serious health conditions. But if you quit you can start to reverse those risks in just a short time, even if you’ve smoked for years. And if you don’t smoke but are often around people who do, you should know that secondhand smoke also poses a risk. Do it for your joints. If the impact of smoking on your heart and lungs weren’t enough reason to quit, maybe the effects on your joints will be. That’s right, smoking is also bad for your joints. Here’s why: cigarettes contain carcinogens that worsen joint discomfort. Not only that, but they also decrease bone mass, which can lead to osteoporosis. Go For Regular Checkups Do it for your heart. While heart disease is a growing problem in the U.S., it’s also preventable. And even if you don’t think you fit the profile for heart disease, you could still be at risk. Many of the controllable risk factors for heart disease — like high blood pressure and high cholesterol — don’t have obvious symptoms. That’s why it’s important to talk to your doctor about heart health and evaluate all of your risk factors, including the ones you can’t control, like your age and family history. Together you can develop a plan to reduce your risk factors for heart disease and improve your overall health. Do it for your joints. Regular visits with your doctor are an essential part of maintaining your joint health. Talk to your doctor about how you’re feeling and what you’re doing to take care of your joints. And don’t forget to keep taking Schiff® Move Free® Advanced daily. Clinically tested Move Free® Advanced actually improves joint health and starts comforting your sore joints in less than 7 days.* Make Your Health a Priority Sure, changing your lifestyle takes some doing. But when you really think about the impact that it can have on your health in the long run, isn’t it worth the effort? Just start by making a few simple changes here and there, and pretty soon you’ll start seeing results. And chances are, that will be all the motivation you’ll need to keep going. *Independent human clinical study (Los Angeles, 2008) |
