35 Ways to Live Forever
(source: Men's Health 8-03)
...In 1991, you started using condoms. Sunscreen followed in '95. And last year when SARS broke out you were wearing surgical masks wherever you went. Your policy on life-threatening diseases: maximum protection.
...So what are you doing to protect your heart? Most guys leave that job up to their rib cage. After all, your heart feels fine. And really, it's out of your hands. Isn't it?
...In a few words: No, you ignorant 911-caller-in-waiting. Half of the men in the world are laying down plaque for that special day when they keel over. We want to keep you upright, so we combed thousands of scientific studies to compile the most important advice you'll ever read: 35 tips, tricks and techniques that will protect you from the number-one killer of men (and their wives).
1. Grill a steak. You may think it's bad for your heart, but you'd be wrong. Beef contains immunity-boosting selenium as well as homocysteine- lowering B vitamins. And up to 50 percent of the fat is the heart-healthy monounsturated variety.
2. Watch a scary movie. Anything that causes your heart to race- slasher flicks, a good book, even being in love- also makes your heart stronger. Upsetting the rhythm once in a while is like hitting your heart's reset button, which helps it keep on ticking.
3. Fight cholesterol with fat.
4. Take aspirin. Regular aspirin consumption cut the risk of coronary heart disease by 28 percent in people who had never had a heart attack or stroke, but were at heightened risk. For maximum impact on your blood pressure, take a low dose just before bed.
5. Rise and dine. People who eat breakfast everyday are 44 percent less likely to be over weight and 41
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percent less likely to develop insulin resistance, both risk factors for heart disease.
6. Join a group. Any group. Lonely people have a harder time dealing with stress and are at greater risk of heart disease than people with a wide circle of friends.
7. Choose dark chocolate. Cocoa contains flavonoids that thin the blood and keep it from clotting.
8. Have a drink every other day. Men who drink alcohol three or four times a week have a 32 percent lower risk of heart attack than men who drink less than once a week. Moderate amounts of alcohol raise HDL cholesterol and keep the blood thin, reducing the threat of artery-clogging clots.
8. Touch her. Ten minutes of skin-to-skin contact with your mate cab\n help keep your blood pressure and pulse from spiking during stressful times.
9. Get your daily B vitamins.
10. Go fishing for tuna. Omega-3 fats in tuna help strengthen the heart muscle, lower blood pressure, and prevent clotting- as well as reduce levels of potentially deadly inflammation in the body.
11. Be a sponge. Drinking 5 or more 8-ounce glasses of water a day could help lower your risk of heart disease by up to 60 percent- exactly the same drop you get from stopping smoking.
12. Order garlic bread. In addition to lowering cholesterol and help fight off infection, garlic may help limit damage to your heart after a heart attack or heart surgery.
13. Scramble an egg.
14. Pair up. Married men are less likely to die of heart disease than bachelors.
15. Read a good book. Men who recites poetry for half an hour a day lowers their heart rates significantly, reducing their stress levels and possibly their heart-disease risk.
16. Smile
17. Finish your degree. Women with 4-year or advanced degrees have a lower risk of heart disease than those
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those who are less educated.. The benefit comes from moving up the earnings ladder.
18. Pee in the bushes. Stress of having full bladder increases heart rate by an average og 9 beats per minute and constricts the flow of blood by 19 percent.
19. Build an iron heart. Lifting weights 30 minutes a week is enough to reduce your risk of heart disease by 23 percent.
20. Rinse, brush. Kill oral bacteria, lower risk of heart disease.
21. Snack on nuts.
22. Buy a dog.
23. Have more sex. You may think all that grunting and sweating would increase your risk of stroke, but the opposite is actually true
24. Take Monday off. The reduction in stress from missing a few days of work shrinks heart-attack and stroke risk by nearly 30 percent, study says.
25. Eat oatmeal cookies.
26. Have a fiber appetizer.
27.Slice your risk. Sure, whole-wheat bread contains cholesterol-lowering fiber, but it's also packed with nutrients that will help keep your blood free of other deadly debris.
28. Close the car window. Avoid pollution at all time.
29. Add E to aspirin.
30. Make friends at work.
31. Cheaters never prosper. Casual extra-marital sex increases your risk of a fatal heart attack. 75 percent of cases of sudden death during sex involved a two-timing spouse- and the death risk was greatest in men who took with much younger women.
32. Stop snoring.
33. Buy a punching bag. Men who express their anger have half the risk of heart disease compared to men who internalize it.
34. Be a part-time vegetarian.
35. Put these tips to use.
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