Protect your heart – important tips for women aged 45+.

Dear MHI reader,

In the last two newsletters on the topic of heart disease in menopausal women, you have already learned a lot about the causes of the increased risk and the differences between the symptoms of heart disease and heart attacks in men and women.

So, now for the good news. You are not helpless in the face of all this. In today’s newsletter, you will learn what you can do to actively protect your heart during menopause and stay healthy.

How to protect your heart

Regular exercise: 

Make sure you get your body moving every day and try to incorporate both endurance training and strength exercises into your weekly schedule. Regular exercise significantly lowers your risk of heart attack.

• Endurance training: walking, cycling, swimming or jogging strengthen the heart and lower blood pressure. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week is enough – easy!

• Strength training: strength exercises improve insulin sensitivity, i.e. the sensitivity of your muscles to insulin, reduce abdominal fat and prevent muscle loss during menopause. Two sessions per week would be great!

• Everyday movement: even small changes like taking the stairs instead of the lift or going for a walk during your lunch break make a big, different

Smart, healthy eating: 

One of the biggest health risks today is ultra-processed food, which overwhelms our entire metabolism and all regulatory circuits with its utopian concentration of sugar, fat and salt. Summarising the rules of a healthy diet is basically quite simple: eat a wholefood, plant-based and varied diet, ideally preparing your own food from real, unprocessed ingredients so you know what’s in it.

• Wholesome and plant-based: Vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and whole grain products provide valuable nutrients and antioxidants.

• Choose healthy fats: Omega-3 fatty acids from linseed oil, chia seeds or oily fish have anti-inflammatory properties and protect the blood vessels.

• Reduce salt intake: Too much salt can cause high blood pressure – fresh herbs are a good alternative.

• Minimise industrial sugar: High sugar concentrations drive up blood sugar and put a strain on the blood vessels.

Reduce stress:

Chronic stress is not inevitable – you can get a grip on it with clever stress management. By learning to listen to our body’s signals and integrating things like meditation, yoga or a daily morning routine into our daily lives, we can strengthen our inner balance, increase our well-being and boost our mental defences.

• Mindfulness exercises: meditation, breathing techniques or yoga help to lower your stress level and stabilise your autonomic nervous system.

• Rituals for more serenity: A fixed morning routine, walks in nature or conscious breaks in your daily routine promote your mental resilience.

• Social support: Studies show that stable social relationships can lower your cardiovascular risk. So, maintain contact with your friends and family.

Take regular preventive medical check-ups:

Which examinations are useful? In our view, the following values are pure life insurance, which you should know in your own interest and, if possible, adjust to the target range to protect yourself from completely avoidable complications such as heart attack, stroke and the like.

1. Blood pressure: Although high blood pressure is the most common and most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is considered the world’s biggest killer, almost half of those affected are unaware of their condition.

2. LDL cholesterol: Good old Rudolf Virchow, who was way ahead of his time, postulated that ‘arteriosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall caused by cholesterol’.

3. Your lipoprotein(a): an elevated Lp(a) level is a hereditary risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Since it can hardly be influenced by diet or lifestyle, you should have it determined once to assess your risk.

4. Your blood sugar and HbA1c levels: Long-term high blood sugar levels are not only a symptom of diabetes mellitus, but also a real danger to your heart.

So, as you can see, even though your risk statistically increases during menopause, you still have your heart health in your own hands. If you want to learn more about how to protect yourself from heart attacks and other health disasters, feel free to download the free e-book in German from our heart expert: Free E-Book | Dr. Heart Heart Coaching. It contains everything you need to know about a heart-healthy lifestyle. And always remember: nine out of ten heart attacks are completely preventable – by you!

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