Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. Lateral Ischemia. Cardiac Arrhythmia of Uncertain Etiology. These are three heart disease diagnoses prevalent to my world at the moment, but they do not belong to me.
A bit about my history: I am a first-generation health and wellness fanatic. I was about 12 years old when I decided to take ownership of my activity level and what I put in my mouth in response to body image issues. My self-generated foundation of exercise and nutrition were not of health; but of vanity. I wanted to LOOK good, and when I felt I LOOKED good, I FELT good. In order to continue the cycle of feeling good about myself, I decided exercise and eating healthy were nonnegotiables in my life.
Fast forward to high school and college. Body image played a larger role to my self-confidence as a member of the dance team. I begged for a YMCA membership for my 16th birthday so I could exercise harder, and it was then that I discovered group fitness. Music. Energy. Positive Motivation. Accountability. and a whole bunch of women of all shapes and sizes coming together for a common purpose. One day I dreamed I would have the courage to be as inspiring as that cardio kickboxing fitness instructor that drew me back every week. When I went off to college, I participated in 3 fitness classes a day and avoided the university’s cafeteria as much as possible to prevent the “freshmen/sophomore 15” weight gain. I pursued elementary and health education as my focus and was hoping to land my dream job of a health education teacher.
Real Life- I was fortunate to land an elementary position in my hometown the fall following college graduation (pre-Governor Walker, at a time there were 300 applicants per position). I gave 6 years to the district before falling upon discontentment. There was no doubt I was born to teach, but I didn’t feel I was able to make the impact I thought I was capable of. It was August of 2013 when the YMCA contacted me about applying for the Group Exercise Director position, in the very Y that turned me on to group fitness more than 12 years prior. Scariest decision of my life. And probably the best decision ever made. Now almost 4 years later, I dedicate my career to leading and inspiring others to live a healthy life. Life comes full-circle sometimes.
Now that you have my foundation…how does this link to my heart disease comment? You don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to KNOW that exercise and a healthy diet combat heart disease. So, at face value, someone with my background wouldn’t have to worry about heart disease, right? Very wrong.
My mother was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome when I was in high school, basically a condition that causes a rapid heartbeat at times. It’s not too serious, but can lead to more serious conditions. Last week, she was told she had lateral ischemia.
My mother is a tough cookie, so for her to admit she was nervous about some symptoms she was having, it was the real deal. She has complained of dizziness, nausea, persistent headaches, numbness and even memory loss. Tests are showing a lack of blood flow (which equals lower oxygen and nutrient supplies) to her heart. We are awaiting further results for the “what next”. Now, I mentioned I’m a first generation fitness fanatic, but my mom isn’t exactly UNhealthy. She’s at a normal weight, is active, and tries to eat well. As far as I am aware of, heart disease does not run on the maternal side of my family. Is it genetics or environment?
Cardiac Arrhythmia of Uncertain Etiology. This is the cause of death on my 27 year old half-brother’s death certificate. What caused Matt’s heart to fail? I know in fact, heart disease exists within my paternal bloodline. Extremely sad, completely unexpected.. Again, Matt was not a fitness-fanatic, but not UNhealthy and so darn young…..Genetics or environment?
On the flip end…we have all heard the stories of ultra-marathon runners collapsing at the finish line, high school athletes passing out to never awake on the field, or even generally fit people having massive heart attacks on a jog.[1] WHY? Doesn’t “FITNESS” combat anything heart disease-related? Not necessarily.
This brings me to question my own heart health due to genetics.[2] I know my family history, so I did a bit more research on overall heart disease. In 2015, Manitowoc County reported 22% of ALL deaths in the county were due to “disease of the heart”, very closely in-line with the CDC’s national average of 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S.. Statistics are statistics. But are they applicable to me? How many of these 1 in 4’s devoted their entire life to being healthy?
My dreaded but realistic takeaway is that I am not invincible, nor can I expect my fitness to shield me from heart disease. Those tingling fingers and sharp chest pain I feel during running are not pains to keeping “pushing through”, but SIGNS to listen to. Heart disease unfortunately does not discriminate entirely from the healthy vs. unhealthy when genetics play a role. “Kari, you know your family history…get checked out.”
Does this mean it’s pointless to maintain a healthy lifestyle if genetics are against me? Absolutely not. My healthy lifestyle is keeping my prediabetes at a standstill (I was gestational when I was pregnant), models a healthy life for my daughter, gives me nightly quality sleep, wards off colds and flus, helps myself sustain a positive body-image, assists with my work productivity and stress level, and gives me premium insurance rates due to my awesome Health Risk Assessment results! I call that a win….a win to overall health, but not yet a win to be out of the woods when it comes to my own heart health.
Here’s what I learned through my own research and experiences since this epiphany overcame me:
- Exercise a minimum of 150 minutes per week at a moderate to vigorous intensity level.
- Eat generally healthy (avoid processed, fried, high fat, enriched white flour)
- Continue to research my family history.
- Listen to my body’s signals when active (and not active)
- In the case I do worry about cardiac distress, ACT FAST and do something about it.
- Schedule a stress test.
With February’s Hearth Health Month approaching, I hope everyone takes a moment to evaluate themselves and do a little digging on their own heart health…
Thank you for reading!
References:
http://wish.wisconsin.gov/results/
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wolff-parkinson-white-syndrome/home/ovc-20265961
[1] Research has found that extreme exercise is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and heart attack, although it’s not clear why. Official advice is to do 150 minutes of moderate activity a week – at a level that makes you slightly breathless. When you exercise, keep well hydrated and don’t do more than two hours of extreme activity a week. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2956197/Fit-healthy-proof-heart-attack.html#ixzz4W2XxxHfp )
[2] A family history of cardiovascular disease raises your risk of heart attack – a family history means having a father or brother diagnosed with cardiovascular disease under the age of 55, or a mother or sister diagnosed under the age of 65.
There is nothing one can do about family history. However, other risk factors can be controlled. It’s vital to eat a balanced diet, avoid smoking, control your weight and blood pressure and do about 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2956197/Fit-healthy-proof-heart-attack.html#ixzz4W2XJQveA)
MiniBeastByDay 
Very well writte, with good info.
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