Hi friends
Hope all is good at your end.
My sabbatical is finally over and I am back to Friday blogging! I have cleared my CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) certification from renowned ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) scoring highest in my batch. On top of being a Nutritionist, am now a certified Fitness Coach also. I have already been giving workout flows to my clients all this while and I feel very, very happy that more and more people are becoming health-conscious these days.
I already am into precise-nutrition. Based on some old and recent queries, I am considering doing a BOOT CAMP for 3-months duration, for a small batch of people interested in starting strength training. Will send out the details soon, hopefully.
Why? Rather than me giving reasons for why women need Strength Training especially around Menopause/Perimenopause…let me just say “one should, one must”. Just like we should eat mindfully. Will do another post on it soon, to explain it better.
This come-back blog today was supposed to be about a tool on recognizing genuine hunger pangs/cues. It has to wait for now because right now, on my mind is, our HEART.
We can be vulnerable to heart attacks and heart failures without even realizing the risks/warnings and understanding the severity of the situation. It can be sudden or it can come with fair warnings. Do we know what to look out for?
As a certified ACSM-CPT, I have done my certification in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator) also. I am now convinced that every single one of us needs to learn CPR and especially those with family members with cardiac concerns.
Gyms, large housing societies and wellness centres would do well to invest in an AED machine which comes handy when someone suffers from a cardiac arrest and loses consciousness/pulse. It can be a life-saver! The cost of AED machine is quite high so keeping it at home individually is a difficult and unaffordable option for many.
Anyways, let’s come back to topic on hand. I am going to cover this topic in 2-3 posts. Today is part-1. Stay tuned every Friday and if you want to join me on Instagram, here is the link to my profile:
https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/
What is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, happens when the blood flow and as a result, oxygen supply to heart is blocked. This needs to be treated quickly to avoid death of the heart organ.
The main reason behind a blockage is the Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) – damage of heart’s major blood vessels mostly due to building of plaque inside (atherosclerosis). The blood flow is reduced and pain/shortness of breath may occur. We might not even realize the problem till a complete blockage some day, results in a heart attack. CAD is termed as a “silent killer’ for a reason!
The risk factors for CAD or a heart disease could be any of these:
- Being overweight or obese
- High blood pressure (BP)
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Unhealthy eating
- Being physically inactive
- High stress levels
- Family History
- Age related
Some risk factors like age and family history can’t be controlled much. In these cases it is important to follow a healthy diet & lifestyle and get regularly assessed for any complications. The risk could be high for someone with:
- a first degree male relative who suffered a heart attack before age 55 years
- or a first degree female relative before age 65
Heart attack and heart failure technically, are two different conditions where in ‘heart failure’ the heart weakens and is unable to pump sufficient blood, to put it simply.
Common Symptoms of a Heart Attack
I know there are many other ailments such as indigestion and BP etc that can have similar symptoms. Panicking for every small thing is also not advisable however for awareness’s sake, let’s still know some of the most common warning symptoms of an impending heart attack.
- Shortness of breath – This can happen on its own without any other symptom/pain or along with. If it increases when we lie down or do even mild physical activity, it is wise to get it immediately checked
- Chest Pain/Discomfort – this discomfort is mostly in left or in centre of chest, can last for a few minutes, comes on and goes off. Many a times, it can feel like heartburn or indigestion. The feeling could be of pressure or fullness or a painful squeeze
- Discomfort in upper body – such as ANY of the arms, back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper stomach
- Cold sweat
- Feeling unusually tired for no apparent reasons, for one or many days
- Sudden dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
With these symptoms and especially combined with the above-mentioned 10 risks already present, it would be a good idea to get ourselves immediately tested for any heart-related complications, to be on a safer side.
In my next post on next Friday, we will discuss what can be done to manage our risks for heart-related complications, including a healthy diet. Also a quick go-through with what to do in case of a cardiac arrest. Hope this post today helped us in understanding heart attacks in a simpler way. Do share with your family and friends, to spread the awareness. This can save someone’s life someday!
Till next Friday
Love, Health & Peace
Your Health Coach
Smiita Krishna
