Daily Heart Challenge
For the month of February I wanted to challenge you to do something each day that will benefit your heart!
I think it would absolutely shock you to know how many people have any of the risk factors: hypertension (high blood pressure), too much body fat (regardless of body weight), high blood sugar or diabetes, not enough exercise, have too much blood cholesterol, smoking and have high stress that isn't well managed.
Do any of these apply to you? No one is exempt from the risk factors for heart disease (not even me!)
I don't know about you, but I am completely heart broken watching my friends struggle or die because of cardiovascular disease. I see patients every day who are the lucky ones because they got another chance!
What we do about our risk is THE key to keeping our heart healthy.
Heart disease is sneaky. In many cases, it creeps in slowly over time. We gain a little weight and don't really notice.
Our blood pressure goes up, and we don't feel it
We eat more saturated fat, and a eat little less food in its natural state We move a little less and don't notice how we've changed
We hurt a little more, and move even less
We accidentally disconnect from friends we love
We feel stressed and frustrated and it doesn't let up over time
We struggle to get great sleep and never feel fully energized
Well today is the day that we change it!
I've suggested an activity or challenge for each day of the week for all 28 days in February. If you are regularly training more than what is suggested here, feel free to replace any of the exercise challenges with your program!
You can do amazing and hard things! Seriously, will you do this with me?
You can download the pdf document for free right on my home page! (moniquemiddlekauff.com)
You can find the links to the gorgeous heart prints from Codex Anatomicus HERE. I recently bought four copies for my home office, and I am just so in love with them.
About the Author
Dr. Monique Middlekauff is a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP) through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has been a certified personal trainer with the NSCA, ACSM, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) for over 10 years.
She is a certified Higher Education Teaching Specialist (HETs) and has instructed courses ranging from introductory to graduate level including Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Exercise Physiology Lab, Resistance Training, Fitness Foundations, Aging and Exercise, and Skeletal Mechanics.
She is a former NCAA DI volleyball athlete and loves to exercise outdoors. Monique is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and is an Exercise is Medicine Level 3 credentialed provider. Monique works for a major health system in Idaho.
Her goal is to pursue health and overall wellbeing through evidence-based practice. Physical wellness comes in many forms, and she seeks to celebrate where you are, and challenge you to be better!
