Annual contest encourages awareness of heart health

Some people come from a genetic background of cardio problems, but even if no one in your family tree has ever had a heart health hiccup, it's probably wise to be mindful of the well-being of your body's most vital organ. Heart disease is one of the leading health risks for both men and women in America.

For 15 local women participating in the second annual Heart Health Challenge, sponsored by Intermountain Healthcare, cranking up their cardio fitness has been a daily goal for going on three months. The 100-day event concludes later this month, and one lucky winner will claim a fistful of prizes, including a $1,000 travel voucher.

You can't put a dollar amount, however, on the value of extending your own expiration date. Each woman in the contest, whether or not she wins, at least has the satisfaction of picking up the tools, and hopefully the habits, to potentially ensure a longer, healthier life.

Provo resident Shirley Brua, the oldest of the group at 62, said that she's struggled to stay fit since being in a car accident six years ago. "I was very, very physically active before that," said Brua.

Another participant, stay-at-home mother (and grandmother) Mary Hardin, 49, said the contest appealed to her "because I got lazy over the winter."

A lot of the women who are participating would like to drop some excess pounds, and weight loss is part of the glamour of the Heart Health Challenge.

Yet, although achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is an important element of cardio fitness, it's not the most important goal. "We get hung up on the scale too much," said Tracie Heiner, director of cardiac rehab at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Heiner said that changing your lifestyle -- whether or not you also lose a lot of weight -- is the best way to promote long-term improvement in heart health. And the two elements of your lifestyle that probably need the most work are almost certainly going to sound familiar: eating and exercise.

Your heart is what you eat

You can improve a lot of indicators of heart health -- cholesterol, blood pressure -- by being careful of what you put in your mouth. Of course, you should be watching not only what you eat, but how much you eat. Two words: portion size.

Because of the amounts of food that Americans are accustomed to, said Jalaine Kantor, UVRMC's outpatient dietitian, people tend to eat three to four times as much as they should when eating out, and two to three times more than they should when meals are eaten in the home.

Some especially problematic foods are pasta and red meats.

"When you're eating a plateful of pasta," Kantor said, "you're eating five to six times as much as you should." (The recommended serving per meal for most pasta is just one-third of a cup.)

With meats, she said, people tend to have a six- or eight-ounce serving of meat when a three-ounce serving is optimal.

Fast foods, which are often high in fat and low in nutrients, are an Achilles heel for many. And one of the worst offenders is soda -- not because it directly affects the heart, but because it promotes rapid weight gain by funneling enormous amounts of empty calories into the bloodstream.

Don't think that your diet soda is getting you off the hook, either. Kantor said that studies have shown that diet sodas actually increase hunger. And people have a tendency to pat themselves on the back, so to speak.

"You tell yourself, 'I'm getting a diet soda, so I'll have fries and a Big Mac,' " Kantor said.

Hardin said she's given up desserts while participating in the Heart Health Challenge, including her favorite: doughnuts. "I like all doughnuts," she said.

Kantor said that most people can improve their diet by getting back to those nutrition seminars from grade school. Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Switch from whole milk or 2-percent to skim, and choose lean cuts of meats, as well as emphasizing poultry and fish.

Also, fix your own meals. "You get a wider variety of foods" that way, Kantor said, as well as having more control over how they're prepared.

Gonna make you sweat

For best effectiveness, however, healthy eating should be combined with regular exercise. Yes, it's time to dig out those gym shorts.

You don't want to just jump right in, however, especially if you haven't been a regular exerciser in the past. Heiner said that anyone over 40 should consult a physician before beginning any program of regular exercise. And take it easy, at first.

"Some people are so gung ho that they wear themselves out the first couple of days and then never exercise again," said Heiner. Break yourself in by limiting exercise time until you get accustomed to it -- which may not take as long as you think. Heiner said she's worked with patients who have progressed from four or five minutes of exercise per day to 45 minutes in just one month.

At a minimum, your eventual goal should be to exercise for at least 20 minutes three times a week. To actually make a lasting difference, however, 30 minutes of exercise five to six times a week is better.

What you do when you exercise is up to you, but Heiner said that you'll be a lot more likely to stick to it if you pick something that you enjoy. Sometimes even something that you're already doing -- Heiner said that she works with a lot of heart patients who play golf, for example, and recommends that they walk the course, instead of using a cart.

Before her auto accident, Brua enjoyed playing racquetball for many years. Since revving up her exercise habits with the Heart Health Challenge, she said, she's gotten back to the court. "I've felt great running around, and even beaten a few women who are 20 years younger than me," she said.

If you're worried about being able to stick to it, Heiner said that it helps to make a plan and set goals. Challenge yourself to run a 5K, or to ride your bike somewhere you'd ordinarily go in your car.

Don't tell yourself that you just don't have the time either. "A lot of people say they don't have time to exercise," Heiner said, without realizing how much time it can save them in other areas. "They'd be much more efficient and alert with what they're doing the rest of the day if they took 30 minutes to exercise."

• Cody Clark can be reached at 344-2542 or cclark@heraldextra.com.