Diabetes

Another risk factor for heart disease is diabetes, a chronic disease of insulin deficiency or resistance. Type 2 diabetes, most common type, is associated with obesity and may be prevented by maintaining ideal body weight through exercise and balanced nutrition.

Tips For Controlling Risk of Heart Disease

Stop Smoking

The effect of smoking on your lungs can cause almost every other medical condition.

Get Active

Routine physical activity is highly recommended and helpful in controlling obesity. Try to perform 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Fast walking is one of best way to prevent heart disease. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, five pounds for example, it may have a positive effect on lipid levels and blood pressure preventing heart disease.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Limit daily alcohol intake to three ounces or fewer to prevent heart disease. People who drink large amounts of alcohol (six to eight ounces a day) tend to have higher blood pressure.

Watch What You Eat

Eat five helpings of fruits and vegetables daily to prevent heart disease.

Maintain adequate dietary potassium, calcium and magnesium intake.

Reduce saturated fats and cholesterol to stay away from heart disease.

So, how do we make this entire conversion happen so that we start exercising consistently and make fitness a lifestyle change, even for those of us who don't find exercising all that pleasurable?

First, assign a meaning to exercise that is important to you. Second, start making some progress towards what is meaningful to you through exercising. Once you start getting results you want, MEANS of getting those results (in this case, exercising) will then start becoming pleasurable to you.

The Pain to Pleasure Conversion (PPC) Equation at Work An example of Pain to Pleasure Conversion at work can be demonstrated through a series of "if/then" statements.

In Beginning:

Weightlifting ("pain") = Don't DO*. *For example: "I don't lift weights because I'm not very strong and get intimidated by weights at gym. But, I want to reduce my stress and get stronger."

So, if: Living a less stressful life/having strength = Meaning

And if: Weightlifting = Burns off stress/gives strength

Then: Weightlifting = Meaningful

Then, after I start lifting weights and getting stronger and alleviating stress over time (i.e. progressing towards what is meaningful to me) I might find that: Weightlifting = Pleasure

And if: Weightlifting = Pleasure

Then: I will lift weights CONSISTENTLY and start loving every minute of it! And, if I start loving every minute of it, I will do it consistently rest of my life!!** **Because, as equation above shows, every single thing we do consistently in life we find pleasure AND meaning in it ... somehow, some way.

I know this sounds a little black and white, but if you think about it it's true. For example, you might say, well, I know people who CONSISTENTLY complain about everything. Isn't that oxymoronic? My response: absolutely not. That makes perfect sense. I've known plenty of people who find intense pleasure in complaining about everything. And so they do it ... all time!

So, by going through PPC process, you can associate pleasure with exercise and start CONSISTENTLY practicing optimal self care rest of your life even if it was once very painful for you.

It's that simple. I've seen it work over and over again. In fact, it has worked for me in my life and many of my clients. If you struggle with exercising or eating 'right' consistently, try PPC out and let me know how it goes.