Summertime actions for a healthy heart

With the heat of the Texas summer well under way here are a few ideas to help you beat the heat while making heart healthy choices:

· Summer time is an excellent time to buy fruits and vegetables because they are fresh and in season. The USDA dietary guideline recommends four servings of fruits and five servings of vegetables every day (1 serving = 1/2 cup). Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and kiwis are all high in antioxidants and are good for your heart. A good idea is to keep a fruit bowl in your refrigerator with fresh, cut up fruit for a quick snack on the go. Vegetables also offer substantial nutritional benefits and are a great food source for heart health as well. Examples of good vegetables include fresh broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Another good way to consume lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is salads. Salads with spinach leaves offer more heart health than a salad made with iceberg lettuce and remember that a variety of fruits and vegetables is recommended.

· The combination of heat and exercise can put a tremendous stress on the body. Both the skin and the working muscles compete for blood flow- the skin to dissipate the heat in the form of sweat, and the muscles to use the blood to fuel the movements. Instead of putting your body through this stress, especially in the summer heat, a good idea is to exercise in cooler places such as a fitness center or air conditioned area. Malls are an excellent location for indoor walking with even surfaced floors and plenty of room to get in a good aerobic workout. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (brisk walk) 5 days out of the week. A good way to make sure you are keeping a good pace is to go with a family member or friend and keep a conversation going the whole time- if you can not talk, then you are walking too fast and need to slow down. Swimming also offers an excellent cardiovascular workout and is a good workout in the summer to stay cool and still get in a good heart healthy workout.

· With the heat of the summer also comes much sweating, so remember to replenish, replenish, replenish!! Water is the best source of fluid intake and will adequately replace water lost by sweating. Schedule time to work out during the week for about 30 minutes. Prior to work out start drinking water so your body will not be dehydrated. Remember to have water readily available to replenish any lost water due to sweating once your workout is completed. If you are exercising relatively hard, sweating for about an hour or more, then you could choose a sports drink. It is recommended to mix 50 percent sports drink with 50 percent water for the optimal benefit.

· It's that time of the year...time to remove the cover, pull out the grill and start cooking out with family and friends! The American Heart Association recommends grilled fish such as salmon, trout and herring which are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lean cuts of meat such as "loin" or "round" cuts of red meats. These cuts have less fat on them and are better choices for heart health than other cuts of meat.

Jenni Markos
Exercise physiologist
Texas Health HEB Fitness Center