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heart-attack-related stories

Booty Fat vs. Belly Fat

Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness

ask fitz

fitz absHave fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. I'm a tall, mostly trim guy, but I have a bit of a gut. My sister's always nagging me about it, but since I'm trim, I tend to ignore her. She says it's worse to have fat on the gut than fat in the butt, but I say fat is fat. What's your spin? Adam

A. Wow, Adam! What a saucy way to deliver a question. I'll do my best to respond accordingly. Here goes: Big bums can be sexy. Big bellies can be lethal. My little scenario didn't rhyme as well as yours, but you get the gist, right? Your sister is correct, pal, and you'd serve yourself well to force that waistline of yours to jump in line with the rest of your trim body.

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How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements


Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

OK, last week I blogged about the crappy economy and how you can do a penny-pinching workout. Well I'm sick of talking about the economy! Aren't you sick of it too? So -- not that we won't be visiting that topic again anytime soon -- but I thought we could turn our attention to a subject you can actually do something about: Your heart. Yes, in honor of Valentine's Day (and National Healthy Heart Month), let's talk about the American Heart Association's cardio health stats for women, how they differ from the men's stats and what you can do to protect yourself against heart disease. I know Anne Hathaway's special thermo fat-blasting diet drink and Kate Hudson's amazing portable liposuction machine are more likely to be on your Hot List, but are these tools really going to save your life? No! Read on, please.

One of the reasons that heart disease is under-diagnosed and under-treated in women is that women's heart attacks tend to unfold differently than men's. Rather than the classic crushing pain in the chest and numbness down the left arm that most people associate with having a heart attack, women often experience upper abdominal pain, pain below the chest or lower back pain. They may feel nauseated, short of breath or might experience unusual fatigue for days or even weeks leading up to an attack. Warning signs can be intermittent and often intensify during physical exertion. Women are more likely to delay seeking treatment than men because they don't connect what they're experiencing to a problem with their heart.

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Vitamin D - Step Outside for a Healthy Heart

Nutrition & Supplements

walking in sunlightIt's a well-known fact that vitamin D is important for bone health. But it's important for other reasons as well.

Low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of heart-health issues, including heart attacks and strokes. While you do obtain some vitamin D through diet, the best source is sunlight. So now, while the evenings are short, it's important to make a concentrated effort to get some exposure to the sun.

Ten minutes of sun exposure is enough for people with light skin -- those with darker skin will need a little extra time. Try going for a walk during your lunch hour -- it's a perfect way to get your daily dose of sunlight while getting a little extra exercise as well.

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Meet the real women of the Go Red campaign

Diet & Weight Loss

The American Heart Association's Go Red campaign draws attention to heart disease in women. The organization recently announced the nine women that are going to be the faces of the campaign.

While having a celebrity promote a cause is inspiring, I think having real women -- women that could be your friends, sisters, neighbors -- is even more inspiring. Take 39-year-old Cathy for instance; she's an athlete but when her heart rate skyrocketed unexpectedly she went to the doctor and was later diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. Or 53-year-old Patricia who underwent surgery after learning she had a severely blocked artery; while on the operating table she went into cardiac arrest and was miraculously revived. Their stories are going to be aired on NBC soon; AHA has an airtime schedule for your convenience.

You can also take inspiration from the seven real women that are the faces of AHA's Choose to Move fitness program.

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Daily Fit Tip: Get busy

Motivation

Want to cut your heart attack risk in half? How about boosting your immune system by 30%? You can have these perks and more just by (ahem) getting busy.

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You Are What You Eat: The low-cal, high nutrition sweet potato

Vegetarian, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

sweet potatoEach week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Food power -- it is what we are looking for from this feature, right? So if you aren't eating sweet potatoes, here are some good reasons to start.

  • Low in calories -- One sweet potato is about 95 calories.
  • Antioxidants -- Not only are sweet potatoes high in vitamins A and C, but they contain unique root proteins that are powerful antioxidants.
  • Sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar levels.
  • Anti-inflammatory -- May help fight arthritis, asthma and other inflammatory diseases.
  • The vitamin B6 in sweet potatoes helps fight heart attack and stroke.

If sweet potatoes conjure thoughts and images of Thanksgiving dishes, try some of these unique and healthy recipes using sweet potatoes.

Asian Style Chef Salad -- with sweet potato, radishes, baby eggplant and tuna
Warm Sweet Potato and Green Bean Salad -- with a red wine vinaigrette and watercress
Caribbean Sweet Potato Crock Pot Stew -- with chorizo sausage, tomato and exotic spices
Sweet Potato and Greens Soup -- spinach or kale adds even more nutrition
Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto -- with onion, garlic and fresh herbs
Hoisin Kebab with Grilled Flank Steak -- with Asian style marinade

Other ideas?
  • Try using sweet potatoes anywhere you would have used white potatoes.
  • Cube them into salads and soups.
  • Make a sweet potato hash for breakfast. Add green veggies, too.

What's your favorite way to eat a sweet potato?

Featured Writers
Bob GreeneReggie Casagrande
Bob Greene
Jonny BowdenJohn GanonJonny Bowden

Tanya ZuckerbrotFadil BerishaTanya Zuckerbrot
Liz Neporent Liz Neporent