Miami Vegan Blog

So You Ate a Burger and Fries. Now What?

Posted by Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief on Thu, May 10, 2007, 8:43 am PDT

We all have those moments...and the last thing you might want to do after a filling grease bomb is to go walk it off, but science says it's the smart thing to do - and not just for the sake of fitting into your skinny jeans.

Greasy foods can cause your arteries to lose elasticity for six hours, but exercise can come to the rescue. In one recent study, people who walked for 45 minutes within two hours after munching on fast food maintained the same healthy heart function as those who ate fat-free and lounged afterward.

Did someone say do it for your heart? Well, yes! Speaking of which, we may be more compelled by the number on the scale than the measure of our ticker, but there are other digits that you should know for your health, and one of those is your resting heart rate.

It's how fast your heart beats per minute when you're sitting totally still or just woke up in the morning, which is a measure of how trained your heart is. To find yours, take your pulse - ideally, first thing before you get out of bed.

Count the number of heartbeats for 10 seconds, then multiply that number by six to determine your heartbeats per minute (bpm). The normal range for an adult is between 60 and 80 bpm, although it can be lower in more physically fit people.

[Source]

I have an idea, don't eat greasy food. ;-)

Labels: diet, exercise, health, weight loss, wellness