Q: I'm 55 and have been eating very unhealthily and fear it may be too late. Is it possible to reverse heart problems and develop a healthy heart? I know you said the heart will create ways to stay alive, but will all hearts fight this way? I have never been told I had a heart problem and my cholesterol has always been normal, but I do have high blood pressure (usually 130/90) and am very overweight. Is there any hope?
A: Of course there's hope. As long as the heart has a reason to keep beating, it's going to hang in there for you. Your job? To be a compassionate owner of your heart—so you give it a reason to keep pumping out more blood than a low-budget horror flick. Because of your health, your heart is under a fair amount of stress—so it probably feels more overworked than a first-year law student. You can help out your heart by making some changes. If you lose the extra weight (especially around your stomach), I bet your blood pressure will start coming down on its own. And since this is the single biggest factor in aging us, you'll get to live longer as well. |
