Native American, Cochise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Native American, Cochise - Essay Example However, this traditional system of governance was gradually disrupted by the whites. In their quest to overturn the traditional, the white settlers faced some form of fierce resistance from the Native Americans under the leadership of their chiefs and these conflicts resulted in bloodshed in different situations. One of the chiefs remembered for his sworn hatred and resistance to American dominance is Cochise. The history of Cochise is a must read since it enlightens the readers about the events that took place in the 17th century before the birth of ‘democracy’ in America which characterises the present day government in this country. Cochise was an Apache Indian Chief and his territory covered parts of Arizona and New Mexico (HistoryNet, 2013. There are various key events that defined Cochise such as his involvement in different battles against the white settlers. When the white settlers invaded America, they were resisted by the natives which culminated in different battles. Cochise played a significant role in waging some of these battles in defence for their peace. The critical event in the history of Cochise happened in 1872 when a high powered delegation was dispatched to negotiate with him in order to stop Apache war in the Southern Arizona. According to Sweeney (n.d), the top officials sent from Washington had realised that Cochise was the key person to approach in order to obtain lasting peace with the Chiricahua apaches. Thus, it can be seen that this person was critical in as far as the attainment of peace was concerned. Born around 1810, Cochise grew up in the native America but somehow during his mid thirties, things began to change as they started experiencing some conflicts with the Mexicans as well as the white settlers. Having assumed chieftainship around this age, Cochise had no problem settling with these new comers. However, the turning point was in 1860 when cattle belonging to whites were raided and a child was kidnapped. Co chise was suspect in this incident and was summoned together with his family to try to address this issue. This led to the arrest of his family but he managed to escape and from then started to wage war with the whites in revenge for killing members of his family. After the incident, various battles ensued between Cochise’s people and the Americans and Mexicans and these resulted in loss of life. Cochise declared hatred against the white Americans for killing his people and he dedicated himself to fight until the bitter end in defence of his homeland and people. Originally, the Indians lived in the mountainous mountains in the Southwest and they managed to defend their homeland territory under the chieftainship of their great king until a peace treaty was signed in 1872. Up until today, Cochise is one of the few people recognised in the American history for waging a bitter war against the whites in defence of their territorial integrity and sovereignty. He is one of the nativ es to cause sleepless nights to the Americans since they could not easily subdue this great fighter who had a combative battalion. Up until the end, Cochise came to be admired by the Americans for his outstanding guerrilla warfare skills that resulted in the death of many Americans. Though he also lost a great number of his own people through these conflicts, Cochise was not defeated in his cause for defending the territorial integrity of his homeland. He is remembers as one native fighter who defeated the

Leonardo da Vincis Painting: The Last Supper | History

Leonardo da Vincis Painting: The Last Supper | History Leonardo da Vincis large mural of The Last Supper is one of the most familiar images in Western art, even though it has deteriorated to the point where its original brilliance can only be guessed at. The mural has largely been known through its repainted versions, or through touched-up copies that attempt to give some idea of what the original might have looked like. But, the various versions of the picture do little to convey how revolutionary Leonardos whole conception was. At Milan, Leonardo created a work that treated a familiar subject, but was a complete departure from the usual in terms of composition, selection of a Biblical text, iconography, use of perspective, and fresco technique. Leonardo arrived in Milan in the early 1480s, and made one of the longest stays of his career therenearly twenty years. He went to Milan to work for the controversial Sforza family, dukes of Milan, in a number of different capacities: designer, engineer, painter, sculptor, and producer of theatrical entertainments and spectacles. The Last Supper was his most important painting commission in that city. The mural, which measures 1310 x 297.5, was painted in the refectory of the ducal church of Santa Maria della Grazie in the years 1495-1498. Leonardo was an inventor and an innovator, always looking for a better way to do things. In addition, he was, one of the most influential painters of the High Renaissance. The key to understanding the revolutionary qualities of The Last Supper lies in the fact that, in the last quarter of the fifteenth century, Leonardo was engaged in creating an entirely new style of painting. He was involved in working out a solution to a problem that had confronted Florentine painters during the preceding century: the opposition between a view which took the first function of art to be that of rationally and objectively describing physical reality and one that held it to be the expression of spiritualnon-rational and subjectivevalues (Freedberg 23). Various compromises had been worked out between these two positions. But, Leonardo wanted a true blending, rather than a compromise. He did not seek to replicate reality for its own sake, nor did he choose to neglect the appearance of the real world. Instead, Leonardo believed that the painter could show that truth which intellect may find behind the facade of visible experience (Freedberg 20). The painters various tools, such as perspective or the rendering of light on surfaces, were to be used to create an overall harmony that took from the real world in order to describe the ideal. Leonardo had begun the work of creating this new style in his Adoration of the Magi (1481), which he left behind, unfinished, in Florence, when he departed for Milan. His earlier paintings in Milan show the continued development of the style, but his Last Supper was to be its major statement (Freedberg 20). He began conventionally enough. Refectories, the dining halls of the friars or monks who ran large churches, were traditionally decorated with portrayals of the Last Supper, or some other subject associated with dining. These paintings must have been considered important commissions, since their execution was often entrusted to the most popular and well-known artists of the times (Cole 45). The opposite wall usually featured a fresco of the Crucifixionsignifying the connection between the last supper, at which the sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted, and the sacrifice on the Cross, which was recreated in the sacrament. At Milan, the opposing wall featured a Crucifixion (1495) by Donato Montorfano (Pedretti 75). Leonardos drawings show that he began with the conventional seating arrangement and the depiction of the usual moments from the New Testament (Hartt 399). But, he soon changed this, and went for something new. Unfortunately, he also wanted something new in terms of techniqueand this has made it difficult to see everything else he seems to have accomplished in this work. Leonardo was a painter who could spend enormous amounts of time staring at, and thinking about his works. There are even mentions in the literature of the duke trying to get him to hurry with this particular commission (Pedretti 75). In addition, Leonardos primary concern in painting was the creation of a uniform, overall effecta vital element of his creation of a harmonious ideal. But, fresco painting had to be done in clumsy stages. The wet plaster had to be applied only to the section the painter would be able to finish in one sitting. The paint was applied to, and absorbed by, the wet plaster, and creating smooth, invisible joins between sections was a difficult problem. But for Leonardo, who wanted carefully controlled tone and light to unify his composition, it was nearly impossible. Therefore, he attempted to produce a new type of fresco, and painted directly on the dry plaster with a special oil tempera which, he was convinced, would meet the special needs of painting on plaster. But, by 1517, humidity and changing temperatures began to make the paint peel, and, within only twenty years, had become almost indecipherable. In the dramatic moment that Leonardo presented, Jesus sits with his hands outstretched, as if in resignation. He is the focal point of the composition. The twelve apostles are arranged in four groups of three, two on either side of Christ. Their faces express surprise, and horror at the thought that one of them could be guilty of anything so terrible. This allows Leonardo to present a number of figures, who are, basically, arranged in a long row, in a great variety of positions, expressing shock, surprise, protest, and curiosity. But, among the groups, one includes Peter, John and Judas. Christ is lit from in front and from behind, by the framing of his head against the center window, and all the disciples are also well lit. The single exception is Judas. It was traditional to present Judas on the other side of the table from everyone else, and as dark-haired and bearded, his expression sly (Hall 190). But, Leonardo wished to present a more natural version of the story in which Judas truly would not stand out to the eyes of his fellow disciples. Therefore, Judas is integrated into the group. But, he is also placed with the other two most readily identified figures. He sits, shadowed, the only disciple not in the light, by Peter and John. Judas displays his accepted appearance. And, Peter displays his well-known characteristics of gray hair which is generally short and curly and a short usually curly beard, while John is identifiable because he is usually shown next to Christ, and depicted as young, clean-shaven, with long hair and sometimes rather effeminate features (Hall 190). Because the historical event serves as a warning to those who view it, it is set in a world that is both realistic in its details, and ideal in its totality. Leonardo was creating a vision of one of a New Testament drama that had great personal significance for the viewers. But the event is played out on a scale, and in a setting that resembles the real world, but actually represents an ideal. The control of light seems to have been very carefully organized as well, and the perspective of the room is perfect. But, just as the light that shines on the faces of the disciples cannot have any origin within the picture, so the perspective is not what spectators were used to. The fifteenth centurys tradition of illusionistic perspective decreed that represented space must be an inward extension of the room in which the spectator stands (Hartt 401). However, in the case of The Last Supper, there is no place in the refectory that a spectator can take in order to experience the painted space in this way (Pedretti 70). The room created by Leonardo, like the people and objects in it, is in a region of superior existence and the tables edge makes a boundary between our world and the idea (Freedberg 24). Thus, though Leonardo failed to change fresco painting to suit his own aims, the wreck of The Last Supper demonstrates how revolutionary the painting was. WORKS CITED Cole, Bruce. The Renaissance Artist at Work: From Pisano to Titian London: John Murray, 1983. Freedberg, S. J. Painting in Italy: 1500-1600 3d ed. New Haven: Yale UP, 1993. Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art Rev ed. New York: Harper and Row-Icon, 1979. Hartt, Frederick. Italian Renaissance Art Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; New York: Abrams, 1975. Pedretti, Carlo. Leonardo: A Study in Chronology and Style. [1973]. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich-Johnson Reprint, 1982. Modern Day Subcultures: Hip-Hop, Cosplay and Otaku Modern Day Subcultures: Hip-Hop, Cosplay and Otaku Subculture refers to a small group of people who with different behavior and beliefs in a larger mainstream culture. Subculture does not only contain the values and concepts that similar as the main culture, but also their own unique values and concepts, and these values are scattered into all kinds of main cultures. Subculture is a branch of the whole culture. Because of class, ethnic, religious, occupation differences, living environment, it can form groups or regional culture with its own characteristics under a unified national culture. Sub-culture originated in the 1950s and was influenced by the Baby boom of the post-war. Since then, the Teenage of the Western was becoming the main part of society and prompted the Youth culture age. Nowadays, most of the mainstream cultures are evolved from the subculture slowly. Hip-Hop Hip-hop is a cultural movement including rap, break dance, graffiti writing, DJing, etc. As a musical understanding, it originated in the African American communities of New York City in the late 1970s. Hip-hop is a completely improvised freestyle of music, this kind of music doesnt contain any binding elements. Hip-Hop originally refers to the early stages of hip-hop dance, and it gradually developed into a greater concept. The Hip-Hop culture characteristic, usually including those large clothes, heavy gold jewelry, and speak with the words YoYo whats up?. As early 80s, Hip-Hop trend had already spread from the United States to the whole Western world. In 1986, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Run DMC of Def Jam Records Company hold the Def Jam Tour, it triggered a global Hip-Hop craze. And by 90s, the time led to Dr. Dres Gangsta Rap, Puff Daddys Hip-Hop style, the queen of rap Missy Elliott and so countless Hip-Hoper appeared. They gradually make these musical forms which from folk music into the mainstream market, and their works easily created on the 10 million sales. Hip-Hop music has become big revenue of entertainment industry in the United States. The appearance of Eminem in the late 90s, as a white man, he needed one year to become the hottest Hip-Hop stars, completely broke the race question of Hip-Hop culture. Just as using Elvis Presley to prove that rock and roll is not only belong to the black. Eminems appearance symbolize that Hip-Hop culture has accepted the white man and toward to the world. Actually, hip-hop was a sub-cultural forms that with counter-cultural tendencies, the nature of it runs in the opposite direction of pop culture in our traditional sense. However, in the current situation, it not only becomes the mainstream culture, an important component, but also the rapid rise of the hip-hops development. Cosplay Cosplay, is the short form of costume play, it is established by the Japanese animator Takahashi Nobuyuki during the Los Angeles worlds annual science fiction exhibition in 1984. Cosplay refers to a kind of self-interpretation of role, the behavior of Performing Arts. In the present day, cosplay is usually seen as sub-culture activities. The role often comes from animation, comics, games, novels, movies, TV series, tokusatsu, idol groups, occupation, historical stories, social stories and so on. Usually, they wear similar clothes, carry necessary props and put on make-up to mimic the role. During the 17th century, the Jesuit priest Athanasius Kircher invented Magic lantern successfully and then animation became popular in Europe. Until the late 1930s, Mickey Mouse of Walt Disney appeared in U.S., the animation style had a clear and affirmative definition. And also, the first cosplayer of animated character in history was born in this period. Soon, Mickey Mouse has been popular in the United States, also around the world. Walt Disney grasped this opportunity and created the first Disney theme park of the world in 1955. In order to publicize the products and better attract tourists, Walt Disney hired employees to wear special Mickey Mouse costumes for pleasing tourists and taking pictures. The original unknown persons who dressed in Mickey Mouse are the first cosplayers of Cosplay culture in the contemporary world. In 1947, the so-called God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka revised a red cover Manga New Treasure Island in according to Sakais original works. He thus made a showy display of his abilities and set off a wave of contemporary comic cartoons in Japan. He created overall prosperity for Japans ACG (animation, comic and game) market and laid a foundation of the real status of ACG in Japan. At the same time, Disneys Cosplay activity for publicity was introduced into Japan, and ACG community imitated that and it becomes a normal activity in Japans ACG community. By the 1990s, Japanese ACG industry successfully held many animation and game exhibitions. In those exhibitions, they employed some people to dress as the roles of ACG works in order to attract the visitors. Therefore, Cosplay culture in the ACG community has been promoted and carried forward in Japan. Through a variety of Cosplay events, media presentations, a large number of Internet propaganda of Cosplay information, the participants in Cosplay increased rapidly. Slowly, Cosplay began to get real, independent development. It can be said that the global concept of Cosplay has inherited a substantial part of Japanese Cosplay. Otaku Otaku originally referred to the people who have proficient skills and is wild about animation, comics and computer games (ACG), but now generally refers to the people who keen on subculture and have in-depth understanding of subculture. Otaku is the intention of anothers house or family . Also, its an honorific second-person pronoun in Japanese. In 1982, the animation Macross was released, in that animation, the characters are using otaku, to call each other, it is inferred that this group of people is affected by this animation and started to call each other using this term. Later on, the term otaku starts to represent this kind of people. In the 80s, the Japanese animation golden age, otaku can be said that its the promoter of this splendid times. One of the most famous people of Japanese animation is the Japanese OTAKU King (OTAKING) Okada Toshio and his animation company GAINAX. GAINAX released two episodes of the semi-autobiographical OVA otakus video, and it has the direct description about the reality of Japanese otaku culture at that time. In 2004, The internet true story train man shapes the image of Japanese otaku: do not care about the appearance, women dont like, do not dare to talk to women, good at computer, well known about subculture, will collect a wide range of models. As the story made into a film version, TV series and comic that output all over the world, Train Man image become popular and represent typical Otaku image. Conclusion The three subcultures that mentioned above are the well known subcultures in the world. Evidently, the present mainstream came from subcultures through a long time of humans awareness, understanding, and acceptance. Historically, the famous jazz and RB was once a subculture, but with the professionals and the continued involvement of culture scholar, which later became the formal part of the pop culture. Yesterdays subculture may be todays mainstream culture; todays subculture may be tomorrows mainstream culture. This also shows that the formal cultures always absorb the sub-culture and developed, subculture plays a huge role in the formation of the formal culture.

Essay on The Jungle and Things Fall Apart -- comparison compare contra

The Jungle and Things Fall Apart Frederick Douglass once said "Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe." Frederick Douglass was a runaway slave turned abolitionist, and while his history is quite amazing, what is even more intriguing is that this quote sums up the theme behind two books that have nothing to do with slavery or each other. One can conclude, therefore, that oppression, whether by law, in tradition, or by circumstance, is a universal theme. It's sting knows no bounds, geographical, racial, or otherwise. The African American slave suffers from the same plight as the impoverished immigrant and the indigenous peoples subject to the invasion of Christian missionaries. Oppression, as a result, is a tie that binds two very unique novels together, or perhaps, just maybe they are not so different at all. Their parallels can best be analyzed by taking a closer look into the environments, the main characters, and the chilling symbolism present in The Jungle and Things Fall Apart. The environments of both novels stand in stark contrast with each other; one a world of metal and machines, the other a land of straw huts and bare necessities. The common theme, however, is painfully simple. Both cultures are governed by the land, Chicago by the economy and Umuofia by it's traditions. In Chicago, when the economy suffered so did the packing industry. When the world demanded less meat people would be laid off. In Umuofia so long as all people lived by the traditions and l... ...tion and all people obeying said traditions. When the environment crumbles so do the societies that are dependant upon them. The two main characters are driven men who despite heroic efforts fall victims to circumstances they are powerless over. Jurgis and Okonkwo both fight the good fight, but lose to a world the cares not for their troubles. Finally, through symbolism the novels truly come alive. The symbolism present gives the reader a clear depiction of the cruelty that is to befall both men. It is truly tragic how close these horrific stories are, a sad testament to dark chapters in time honored establishments, American economy and Christian missionaries. If these are the consequences of such highly thought of establishments, is there anyway to stop oppression from overcoming the world? It tends to make one think.

Drama Theatre Performance: Postmodernism and Theatre Performance

Postmodernism was a movement that began in the 1960s that affected all forms of art and literature of that time period. Postmodernism followed modernism and it sought to challenge the ideas and values of modernistic theatre, modernism was formed to shake up theatre, introducing new theories of science and technology to explain the world, whereas postmodern theatre raises more questions than supplying the answers for the audience. Modernism created a ‘grand-narrative’ whereby there was only one meaning which would be told to the audience. Postmodernism broke down the ‘grand-narrative’ when Jean-Francois Lyotard wrote La Condition postmoderne: Rapport sur le savoir (The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge) (1979), he came up with the idea of micro-narrative which allows the audience to come up with many meanings. Lyotard felt that as science and technology developed so did human understanding. As understanding increased people began questioning everything that they had been previously told such as society, politics and religion. We no longer have recourse to grand narratives†¦. But as we have seen, the little narrative remains the quintessential form of imaginative invention†¦. In addition, the principle of consensus as a criterion of validation seems to be inadequate. It has two formulations. In the first, consensus is an agreement between men, defined as knowing intellects and free wills, and is obtained through dialogue. This is the form elaborated by Habermas, but his conception is based on the validity of the narrative of emancipation. In the second, consensus is a component of the system, which manipulates it in order to maintain and improve its performance. Franko B is a performance artist who uses his own body as art. He uses his body as a canvas to portray feelings such as vulnerability, love, hate and power he also attempts to portray the fears of human condition. His shows are controversial and have been questioned as to whether it is art and as to why the arts council are funding his projects. The arts council responded to this by saying â€Å"But it is important that we do fund a range of things, including things that are challenging do stretch the boundaries, and fund some things which from time to time will shock and offend people. That's what art's about. † Franko B performance relates to postmodernism as he creates a performance that allows the audience to think for themselves, he does this by not using any form of language as well as not allowing any form of connection with the audience for example in one of is shows he stood on stage naked in a Christ-like pose with blood pouring from his wrists and feet, whilst walking up and down a catwalk while bleeding from his arms. In doing something controversial like this, he makes the audience ask why he is doing this, many of them see it as abnormal. Managing to get the audience to question what he is doing he is making them question social constructions and is breaking the conventions by doing so. Although walking around naked and bleeding is already seen as controversial he also uses the environment of a cat walk for his piece, it is typically known as place where beauty is observed and admired, what we are observing is it beauty? That is what Franko B wants you to think about, he aims to break the wall of social constructions, making beauty and suffering become one. â€Å"He is internationally acclaimed and has performed across the world. His repertoire mixes both visual art and live performance art and he would say his work is about beauty, with his body as the canvas and his blood as the material. I find Franko B shows strangely fascinating but hard to watch as what he is doing in the shows is grotesque and abnormal but as this is the method he uses to get his audience to question what is normal and to get the audience to look at things in a different way to how you would normally look at things, I watched several of his art instalments on you tube to try and understand what he tries to portray to his audiences the one that struck me the most was one titled I’m thinking of you, I found this intriguing as Franko B is sat on a swing naked swinging back and forth to calming idyllic music I find this fascinating as while I’m watching all I am thinking about is how it reminds me of innocence yet it’s a large tattooed naked man on a swing. Forced entertainment are an experimental theatre company that formed in Sheffield in the 1980s at the height of the postmodernist movement, they use forms of culture and their surroundings to ask necessary questions to engage communities. They have created many shows over the past 25 years and throughout these years have come up with the artistic policy that there shows will make art that explores the highs and lows of complexities of contemporary life. An example of one of their compelling and provocative shows is the club of no regrets, the main character Helen, gives direction to two other performers to enact series of small stories whilst their inside a tiny box, there are two other performers who act as brutal stagehands or even captors, they either smooth the progress or hinder these enactments. The two performers who act as stagehands bound the first two performers to chairs whilst threatening them with toy guns, they also assist the first two by bringing them texts and props they may need in the performance. The scenes are replayed many times as though Helen is unsure of what order they should go in. The scenes then become more violent and chaotic using further text and a confused narration of Helens stories which she calls club of no regrets. I feel this relates to postmodern theatre as in showing a story in so many different ways it is breaking down the ‘grand- narrative’ and creating many micro- narratives which allows the audience to come up with their own understanding and meaning. â€Å"In turn, the audience are liberated by the freedom that the â€Å"maker† has in creating the show. In watching Forced Entertainment productions, we found ourselves without any expectations about the show, nor hope for any feeling of closure and satisfaction from it. Instead we watched with a more open mind, prepared to digest and consider anything that the show ‘threw at us’, so to speak. † I find Forced Entertainments work very interesting as I feel each piece they do is completely different and makes you want to question what you are watching. Although some of their work isn’t as interesting for example the instalment of the institute of failure which was someone reading a list of things that constitute of failure and then a essay on examples of failure in the media and advertisement industry. Although I did not find the piece entertaining or that interesting in the beginning after I had watched it I realised that I was thinking about what had been said and thinking of things that constitute failure. Whilst doing research into postmodern theatre I have found many strange and interesting theatre groups and performers, Franko B and Forced Entertainment just being some of them although I feel that they were the most interesting as they were one of the most controversial acts that I found. I think the main reason I found these attributes of postmodernism interesting is that they make the audience question what they are watching instead of simply being told what to like, as well I find that as the performers work is aimed at getting you to think about what is happening on stage it breaks the ‘grand-narrative’ in general life as it sets of a domino effect and you begin to question other things. Bibliography http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1976059.stm

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a general name for a wide variety of diseases, disorders and conditions that affect the heart and sometimes the blood vessels as well. Risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease include having hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Other risk factors include being of African-American ancestry, male, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, having a lot of long-term stress, smoking and having a family history of a heart attack at an early age.Some different types of cardiovascular disease includes angina, heart attack, heart failure, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and cardiac arrhythmias. Other forms of cardiovascular disease include congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, infections of the heart, coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, myocarditis, and pericarditis. Symptoms of cardiovascular disease vary depending on the specific type of cardiovascular disease. A classic symptom of cardiovascu lar disease is chest pain.However, with some forms of cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, there may be no symptoms in some people until life-threatening complications. Treatment of cardiovascular disease begins with prevention. Many forms of cardiovascular disease can be prevented or controlled effectively with prevention measures that include regular exercise, not smoking or drinking excessively, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a heart-healthy well-balanced diet. Risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension can be prevented or controlled through these lifestyle changes, regular medical care and/or medication.Heart disease can be improved — or even prevented — by making certain lifestyle changes. The following changes can help anyone who wants to improve his or her heart health: Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and force s your heart to work harder, and carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in your blood and damages the lining of your blood vessels. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and its complications.Control your blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a blood pressure measurement at least every two years. Check your cholesterol. Ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test when you're in your 20s and then at least every five years. Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Get moving. If you have heart disease, exercise helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure — all risk factors for heart disease.If you have a heart arrhythmia or heart defect, there may be some restrictions on the activities you can do, so be sure to talk to your doctor first. With your doctor's OK, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical ac tivity most days of the week. Even if you can't make time for one 30- to 60-minute exercise session, you can still benefit from breaking up your activity into several 10-minute sessions. Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.Eating one or two servings of fish a week also is beneficial. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. Weight loss is especially important for people who have large waist measurements — more than 40 inches (101. 6 centimeters, or cm) for men and more than 35 inches (88. 9 cm) for women — because people with this body shape are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Practice good hygiene habits.Staying away from other people when they are sick and regularly washing your hands can not only prevent heart infections but also can help prevent viral or bacterial infections that can put stress on your heart if you already have heart disease. Also, brushing and flossing your teeth regularly can prevent germs in your mouth from making their way to plaques in your heart, which could worsen cardiovascular disease. Get a flu shot. If you have cardiovascular disease, you're at a greater risk of having a heart attack should you catch the flu. Getting a flu shot decreases this risk. Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease is a general name for a wide variety of diseases, disorders and conditions that affect the heart and sometimes the blood vessels as well. Risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease include having hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Other risk factors include being of African-American ancestry, male, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, having a lot of long-term stress, smoking and having a family history of a heart attack at an early age.Some different types of cardiovascular disease includes angina, heart attack, heart failure, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and cardiac arrhythmias. Other forms of cardiovascular disease include congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, infections of the heart, coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, myocarditis, and pericarditis. Symptoms of cardiovascular disease vary depending on the specific type of cardiovascular disease. A classic symptom of cardiovascu lar disease is chest pain.However, with some forms of cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, there may be no symptoms in some people until life-threatening complications. Treatment of cardiovascular disease begins with prevention. Many forms of cardiovascular disease can be prevented or controlled effectively with prevention measures that include regular exercise, not smoking or drinking excessively, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a heart-healthy well-balanced diet. Risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension can be prevented or controlled through these lifestyle changes, regular medical care and/or medication.Heart disease can be improved — or even prevented — by making certain lifestyle changes. The following changes can help anyone who wants to improve his or her heart health: Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and force s your heart to work harder, and carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in your blood and damages the lining of your blood vessels. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and its complications.Control your blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a blood pressure measurement at least every two years. Check your cholesterol. Ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test when you're in your 20s and then at least every five years. Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Get moving. If you have heart disease, exercise helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure — all risk factors for heart disease.If you have a heart arrhythmia or heart defect, there may be some restrictions on the activities you can do, so be sure to talk to your doctor first. With your doctor's OK, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical ac tivity most days of the week. Even if you can't make time for one 30- to 60-minute exercise session, you can still benefit from breaking up your activity into several 10-minute sessions. Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.Eating one or two servings of fish a week also is beneficial. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. Weight loss is especially important for people who have large waist measurements — more than 40 inches (101. 6 centimeters, or cm) for men and more than 35 inches (88. 9 cm) for women — because people with this body shape are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Practice good hygiene habits.Staying away from other people when they are sick and regularly washing your hands can not only prevent heart infections but also can help prevent viral or bacterial infections that can put stress on your heart if you already have heart disease. Also, brushing and flossing your teeth regularly can prevent germs in your mouth from making their way to plaques in your heart, which could worsen cardiovascular disease. Get a flu shot. If you have cardiovascular disease, you're at a greater risk of having a heart attack should you catch the flu. Getting a flu shot decreases this risk.