It’s time to take heart health and cardiometabolic health into our own hands. For women navigating a healthy life in their 40s and beyond, good cardiovascular health is not just a necessity—it’s a gateway to a life filled with energy, purpose, and joy.
An often overlooked but crucial aspect of this is cardiometabolic health, a term encompassing the intersection of the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. In this starter guide tailored to the unique health needs of women over 40, we will demystify what cardiometabolic health is, explore why it’s vital, and provide practical steps to enhance this cornerstone of your well-being and prevent cardiovascular disease.
According to a study by Tufts University, only 7% of Americans have good cardiometabolic health. I am sure you can agree that this statistic is truly shocking.
Understanding Your Cardiometabolic Health
The term ‘cardiometabolic’ refers to the health of your heart and your body’s metabolism, which regulates how you process and store energy through fat metabolism and insulin function.
As we age, approach and enter our 40s, women face increased risk from a host of changes—physiologically, hormonally, and often within our environments—that can impact these systems.
Why is Cardiometabolic Health Important for Women Over 40?
Illuminating the crucial nature of this health facet for women, cardiometabolic health has been directly linked to various diseases that affect women disproportionately, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and stroke.
Statistics show that women die from the same diseases as men, but their risk profile increases exponentially as their hormones decline in their 40s and 50s. It is a vital indicator of longevity and life quality, and adopting healthy habits in this decade can significantly affect the years ahead.
This is why we focus so heavily on hormone health at Metabolix Health with our clients.
The Complex Components of Cardiometabolic Health
Examining the facets of cardiometabolic health and cardiovascular risk helps you to understand how each contributes to your overall vitality and fitness. We will dissect how blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood glucose, and waist circumference play integral roles in the bigger health picture.
Discover the common risk factors that overweight women in this age group should be particularly mindful of, from hormonal changes to sedentary lifestyles, and begin recognizing how these may be impacting your well-being. Risk factors for cardiometabolic health include high blood pressure, increased body weight, and insulin resistance.
Tips for Maintaining your Cardiometabolic System
Maintaining a healthy cardiometabolic system is all about lifestyle interventions. But most women, especially those over 40 are not aware of the impact of hormones on your overall health and this leads to weight loss or gain, exhaustion, and overwhelm.
It also increases your risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other associated disease risks you do not want.
Health factors affecting your Cardiometabolic health
- Hormonal imbalances -estrogen is protective of the heart in the years before menopause. Estrogen relaxes the arteries and promotes good cholesterol. “But as menopause approaches, estrogen drops, and we see more cardiovascular risk factors in women. An article appeared in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology entitled: Menopause: a Cardiometabolic Transition and outlines the increased risk to women post menopause concerning heart conditions. [1]
- Elevated blood pressure – the adverse effects of hypertension are associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and weight gain all issues that increase with age and hormonal changes in women.
- Cholesterol levels – increase as women get older. This is not necessarily a bad thing because you need cholesterol for many functions including your steroidal hormones and brain function. But the size of the lipid particles matters so getting the appropriate screenings and testing is important.
- Blood glucose – increased blood glucose is a risk factor for diabetes in women.
- Waist circumference – over 35 inches is considered a risk factor for cardiometabolic issues in women over 40. Waist circumference is a better measure of health than your overall weight on the scales because it correlates to your adipose tissues and visceral fat, the layer that hangs around your organs causing health risks.
Dietary Adjustments for Optimal Cardiometabolic Health
The saying ‘You are what you eat’ is never more true than when it comes to our cardiometabolic health and weight too. Nourishing our female bodies with the right foods can be a powerful preventative measure against disease risk and prevent a host of women’s health issues.
Crafting a Heart-Healthy Diet
What does a heart health diet for women look like? Well, like any healthy diet, it is Mediterranean in focus… lots of nuts, seeds, healthy vegetables, seasonal fruits, organic meats, wild-caught fish, and a special emphasis on olive oil, olives, avocado oil (organic), and other healthy monounsaturated fats.
At Metabolix Health, we believe diet is part of a comprehensive health program and should be adjusted and individualized for your situation without adverse effects.
The Role of Superfoods in Your Diet
You want to include seasonal superfoods in your diet such as polyphenols and flavonoids. These are found in dark chocolate, green tea, and blueberries. I hear you say: “Oh, I can eat chocolate?” Well, yes, but the dark kind… the kind you won’t be eating the entire bar in 30 seconds! The kind that you will want a square or 2 at the most… and find yourself finishing the box in a month, rather than 30 minutes!
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The Power of Mindful Eating
Mindful eating can transform the way we relate to food, fostering a healthier, more satisfying diet. It makes food look, feel, and taste better allowing our cells to receive nutrients more effectively. Eating is not just a functional activity, it has a neuro-emotional link and is much more complex than we may think.
The Exercise Equation: Finding What Moves You
When it comes to women and exercise, it is so important to find ways to move that you enjoy. If you don’t find pleasure in movement, then you certainly won’t be inspired to incorporate these new habits into your daily life!
Staying Active in Creative Ways
From integrating movement into your workday and workouts to discovering new hobbies that keep you on your feet, this section shares a variety of inventive ways to stay active without it feeling like exercise.
Lifting Beyond the Iron: The Holistic Pursuit of Cardiometabolic Health
Strength training for women isn’t just about sets, reps, and the occasional grunt in the gym. It’s a philosophy that can shape your approach to health, fitness, and well-being on a holistic level. Crafting a strength training regimen is key, aligning it with your goals, schedule, and other exercise preferences.
The Importance of Consistency in Your Routine
Consistency in resistance training isn’t glamorous, but it’s the mortar that holds the Temple of Strength together for women. Like compounding interest, the benefits of consistent strength training multiply over time. Life throws curveballs, so adapting your strength training routine to these changes is crucial, whether it’s due to a menstrual cycle or the mighty march of menopause.
Managing Stress and Prioritizing Sleep
In the hustle of daily life, stress can take a heavy toll on our hearts and metabolisms. Women are less adaptive to stress than men. Finding ways to manage stress and ensuring quality sleep are not just luxuries; they’re indispensable for our health.
Tools and Techniques for Stress Management
Explore a toolkit of stress-busting strategies, including mindfulness practices, hobbies, regular physical activity,, and professional support, and learn how incorporating these can positively influence your cardiometabolic health.
Unlocking the Power of Restful Sleep
Sleep is when our bodies repair and rejuvenate, making it a non-negotiable element of good health. Several studies have provided evidence that short sleep duration increases the risk of cardiometabolic disease.
Is Intermittent Fasting Recommended For Cardiometabolic Health?
There is much talk about intermittent fasting in the health world today. However, this needs to be personalized to your specific needs and situation. You may not be ready for intermittent fasting. Women are more complex than men.
Your hormones are affecting your ability to fast. So just starting a fast alone, is not a wise idea. Work with a functional healthcare professional who knows and understands women’s health over 40 and can individualize a program for you.
In theory, we love intermittent fasting but with this caveat – it must be the best timing for you.
The Significance of Functional Medicine Lab testing for Women’s Cardiometabolic health
The functional medicine systems biology approach to health is central to your cardiometabolic health. This allows a functional medicine practitioner to see beneath the surface to note subtle changes in health that are interrelated and can be addressed with lifestyle and clinical nutrition.
Functional lab testing is all about preventative health and focusing on restoring your body’s innate intelligence to heal and be strong, resilient, and withstand the toxic burden of our daily lives. Knowledge is power, and a healthier heart starts with informed choices.
At Metabolix Health, we analyze your blood chemistry from a functional perspective which bears very little resemblance to your medical doctor’s viewpoint of health since they are looking for disease whereas we are focused on your preventative health status.
Fundamentally different. We are likely to want to review a microbiome mapping and also metabolic testing that will give us a detailed picture of the root causes of your current symptomatology.
Conclusion: Taking Charge of Your Cardiometabolic Health
This guide is not just about increasing awareness; it’s a call to action. By incorporating the insights and advice offered here, women over 40 can enjoy a reset of their health and vitality.
It’s about recognizing the vital role that cardiometabolic health plays in our holistic well-being and taking proactive steps to maintain and improve it.
Your heart and your metabolic health are not merely systems within you—they are the essence of your energy and your ability to live life to the fullest.
By making informed choices and embracing the changes that come with age, you pave the path to an empowered, healthful future.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If this guide has inspired you to begin your cardiometabolic health journey, consider reaching out to us for a free cardiometabolic health call to discuss your next steps.
Remember, it’s your story, and you hold the pen. Write a narrative brimming with stamina, resilience, and the joy of good health.
Resources
[1] Menopause: A cardiometabolic transition
