Heart health issues have unfortunately been a part of my family for many years. It started in 1980 when my maternal grandmother abruptly passed away at age of 50 of a suddent heart attack. I still recall my mom picking up the phone in the middle of the night and then bursting into tears at the news. I was only 4, but still remember the look on her face to this very day. Years after, my own mother developed cardiac arrhythmia which included a sudden onset of severe heart palpitations, blackouts and dizzy spells and culminated with her having to take a daily prescription pill as part of a bigger preventative plan.Most recently, my father at the age of 60 was diagnosed with atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease or ASVD) which is when the artery wall thickens as the result of a build-up of fatty materials such as cholesterol. What is shocking to me is that neither my grandmother, mother or father had been unhealthy or sedentary adults. My mother and father specially have always watched what they eaten, worked out regularly and taken care of themselves not to be overweight. In addition, none of them smoked. But something that we all learned was that in addition to diet and exercise, there are other factors, especially stress that can wreck havoc on our cardiovascular system. As I became a parent for the fourth time this past November, I vowed to proactively work on staying healthy both physically and mentally for me, my husband and my little ones (ages 4 ½, 3, 22 months and 3 month old). With each pregnancy I gained several pounds and have recently begun a workout regime that consists of getting up at 5:45am right after nursing my 3 month old and heading to the gym for some cardio while the rest of my family sleeps. I workout for an hour and feel so relaxed and a sense of wellbeing after each workout that is undescribeable. I come back home energized and ready to tackle the day! For me working out, getting back in shape and losing weight is more than just about aesthetics and fitting back into my jeans, it’s truly something that is deeper. I want to be healthy on the inside for my kids. I want to learn from my other family members that stress management in particular is key in addition to eating well and staying active. I owe it to my four precious babies and to myself J
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