Nearly one in three deaths in this nation can be attributed to cardiovascular disease. Sadly, that’s about one death every 40 seconds. The good news is that most cardiovascular related problems are preventable and even reversible if you know and utilize the optimal information.

We can not discuss heart disease without talking about stress. Chemical, physical, and emotional stress all play a role here. Chemical stress meaning the toxins that find their way into and onto your body. Physical stress being overworking, non-ergonomic sleeping/sitting positions, injuring yourself. And of course we all can speak of some sort of emotional stress.

Information linking stress and heart disease abound since various studies have been clear that these two situations go hand-in-hand.  Stress is detrimental to any healing regimen, however, it is also a normal part of everyday life.  The stress that kills is the unmanaged, out of control stress that leads to chronic emotional and physical problems.

Your body gives you warning signals when you are experiencing enough stress to cause physical or emotional concerns.  Paying attention and listening to your body is an essential part of any wellness endeavor. However, there may be times when you are under chronic stress that your body begins to accommodate to it.  The warning signs can be harder to decipher when stress becomes chronic. Normally, accommodation or adaptation is a good thing, but when you accommodate to chronically stressful situations, the stress continues to cause problems. Regardless, if you listen closely enough to what your body is telling you, you will soon clearly see the source of chronic stress and thus be able to let it go. Pay attention to physical signs like sweaty palms, consistent tiredness, ringing ears, difficulty sleeping, racing heartbeat/palpitations, or weight loss/gain.  Also look for consistent worrying, inability to concentrate, poor memory, forgetfulness, overall sadness, and loss of your sense of humor (laughter is the best medicine!).  You may also notice you more easily become angry or anxious, and another key warning signal is that you feel powerless and revert to negative thinking most of the time.  If this sounds all too familiar, it is imperative that you comply with what comes next!

1. Identify the stressors in your life and then find ways to ELIMINATE them.  Awareness is curative! Just knowing that you are dealing with stress and putting your attention on finding what works best for you to release it is a giant leap in the right direction.

2. Of course the better you eat, and drink, the easier it will be to release and/or eliminate stress. Your body asks for 1/2 of your body weight in ounces daily of pure clean water. Incorporating natural fats rich in antioxidants can and will help lower your risk for heart disease quite drastically.

Easy ways to include these “heart-healthy fats” in meals include:

• Top salads with avocados, olives, and walnuts (nuts preferably raw and soaked overnight).

• Use raw coconut, olive, and/or flaxseed oils in salad dressings or when cooking (although remember, once cooked, they are no longer raw and lose some of their "essential-ness").

• Eat wild-caught salmon or other fatty fish high in omega-3 oils as often as you can (poached is the best way to preserve their nutrients).

• Snack on sunflower seeds and other nuts like almonds (again preferably raw and soaked overnight).

• Choose cleaner red meats such as grass fed bison and elk.

3. Once again, movement is essential. You must have endorphins (your natural stress busters) flowing in order for your body to combat any type of stress. Exercise is not an option. The type of exercise you do certainly IS an option! You will see that all 3 main types of stress easily melt away when you are consistent with your favorite type of exercise.

• Seek and destroy the stress, eat great fats, drink lots of pure water, move that body, and you're on your way to an optimal heart!