Heart disease is the most common age related disease and the #1 killer.
But you don't have to become a statistic! By following six simple steps, you can significantly reduce your risk for developing heart disease.
This is the first of two articles outlining the steps to a healthy heart.
Step 1: Reduce Your Waist Size Fitness trainers use several measurements of body composition to evaluate your overall health.
But only one of these measurements best determines your risk for heart disease...
waist size.
Simply put, the larger your waist size the greater your risk for developing heart disease.
Even with a normal body mass index (BMI), if your waist is too big you're at risk for heart disease.
So...
reduce your waist size!

1. Follow the 250:250 Weight Loss Rule -- Fad diets are not needed to lose weight and reduce your waist size.
   The 250:250 weight loss rule is an easy way to lose 1 pound a week.
   Eat 250 fewer calories and burn 250 calories every day.
   This results in a 3500 calorie deficit and 1 pound of weight loss per week.
   It's a simple and proven method to reduce your waist size and decrease your risk for heart disease.
   
2. Safely Burn Away Belly Fat -- A seaweed extract and a West African plant can safely burn away belly fat and reduce your waist size.
   Fucoxanthin, a brown marine vegetable, turns fat cells into metabolic furnaces burning stored fat into energy.
   This conversion of fat into energy raises your resting metabolic rate and reduces your waist size.
   Irvingia, an extract from a West African plant, cuts the number of calories you eat by activating leptin.
   Leptin is the hormone that tells the brain you have eaten enough.
   

Step 2: Maintain Optimal Cholesterol Levels High blood levels of LDL-cholesterol and low levels of HDL-cholesterol are independent risk factors for developing heart disease.
Traditional prescription drugs marketed to improve cholesterol levels often cause dangerous side effects, negating their benefits.
Fortunately, there are clinical proven nutritional supplements that help to maintain optimal cholesterol levels and may eliminate the need for prescription medications.

1. Maintain Optimal LDL-cholesterol Levels -- Red Yeast Rice, Citrus Extracts, and Plant Sterols (soluble fibers).
   
2. Maintain Optimal HDL-cholesterol Levels -- Niacin (B3 vitamin) and Indian Gooseberry Extracts.
   

Step 3: Maintain Healthy Blood Pressure High blood pressure makes the heart work harder.
The harder the heart works, the greater your risk for heart disease.
Maintaining healthy blood pressure reduces the heart's workload and keeps the arteries functioning properly.
A medically proven diet and nutritional supplements can ease the heart's work and reduce your risk for developing heart disease.

1. DASH Diet -- The dietary approach to stopping hypertension is more of a food choice than a diet for losing weight.
   Eat foods rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium and avoid eating too much salt.
   Keep your salt (sodium) intake less than 2.
   5 grams per day.
   
2. Nutritional Supplements -- Maintain healthy blood pressure by supplementing with milk peptides, grapeseed extract, and pomegranate extract.
   

By following the first 3 steps to a healthy heart, you're well on your way to reducing the risk for heart disease.
Stayed tuned for my next article on the last 3 steps to a healthy heart.