Heart Health

by Molly Magunga, MS ATC, CPT, CES

Hello everyone! February is a month known for many things. It’s a month for love. A month for Black History Awareness. It is also American Heart Month, a month to focus on cardiovascular health. According to the World Health Organization, heart disease is the leading cause of deaths globally. Heart disease deaths have also seen the biggest increase in the last 19 years, compared to any of the other top 10 causes of deaths worldwide. The saddest reality of heart disease is that many of these deaths are preventable. This reality does have a bright side. There is a lot of information out there to help you make positive changes to reduce your risk of heart disease. What better way to start off a new year and a new month than with tips to help you improve your cardiovascular health?

Heart Health Tips

There are a lot a things you can do to help take care of your heart. When looking at the full list, it may seem like a daunting feat to make all the necessary changes to help your heart. The big thing to remember is to use every day to make small changes. No day will be perfect, but the key is to consistently try for improvement.

• Healthy and Balanced Diet
  • A good, heart-healthy diet includes eating foods low in unhealthy or saturated fats, sodium, and added sugar. A variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains gives your body much needed nutrients to manage weight and help prevent heart disease. Some fats are important to a balanced diet. Eating food that contain healthy fat (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats), like avocados, nuts, and seeds, in place of unhealthy fats will give the body what it needs without being tough on the heart. Incorporating more fish that are high in omege-3 fatty acids can also help reduce triglycerides or blood fats and help improve the health of your cardiovascular system.
• Maintaining a Healthy Weight
  • Carrying extra weight, especially around your midsection, has been shown to increase the risk of developing heart disease. Knowing your hip-to-waist ratio (dividing your waist circumference by your hip circumference) is one way to know if you are someone in this category. If you are, don’t panic! Diet and exercise can help shed that extra weight and reduce your risk.
• Stop Smoking
  • The negative effects of smoking have been research over and over again. Smoking causes damage to the cardiovascular system and can lead to some very, very serious health problems. It’s not easy to quit, but never give up. Keep trying as long as you need to succeed and seek help if you need it! There are tools and support out there, so use them to help you.
• Get Regular Doctor Checkups
  • Getting regular physical exams help detect any possible concerns earlier. Things like blood pressure and cholesterol can be monitored more closely to determine your risk of heart disease. If you have a moderate or high risk, you and your doctor can develop a plan earlier to help reduce it. Prevention is always easier than treatment.
• Manage Stress
  • It’s impossible to reduce all stress to the body. Reducing what stress you can and learning to manage the rest will help your body in so many ways, including improving your heart health. Yoga, meditation, knitting, or social interactions can all help manage stress. Try a variety of things to find what works best for you.
• Regular Exercise
  • Moving regularly through exercise can also help reduce your risk of heart disease by helping to control blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight. The American Heart Association recommends getting 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise for major heart health benefits. It is best to spread these minutes throughout your week, but this can still be done in many different ways. When looking at moderate-intensity workouts, going for a brisk, 30-minute walk five times a week or biking for 50 minutes three times a week are both examples of getting the recommended exercise throughout the week for major heart health benefits.

If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to email me at mmagunga@healthworksfitness.com or comment below!