Six Steps to a Healthy Heart
As we get older, heart health issues emerge. We may develop high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Work with your health professional to keep these heart health problems under control. No matter what your age, it’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle and getting your heart disease risks in check.
Consult with your doctor about you heart health concerns.
- Get enough exercise. This means at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Like all muscles, your heart benefits from physical activity. So, take a walk or do some seated exercise.
- Quit smoking. If you do smoke, it’s time to quit. Your heart will thank you.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet. Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables while limiting saturated fats, salt, and foods containing cholesterol, like fatty meats.
- Watch your numbers. Get regular check-ups to monitor health conditions that affect the heart, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, and make sure they’re under control with medication.
- Reduce your alcohol intake. This is also beneficial for your heart.
- Watch your weight. Too many pounds can add up to increased heart disease risk. To help prevent heart disease, maintain a healthy body weight for your size.
AW Health Care can help you get on the right track with diet and exercise plans tailored just for you!
In MO (314) 726-5600 In IL (618) 344-8800
Eat Less Salt
You may have heard that you should eat less salt, but why? Too much salt causes your body to retain water, which creates an added burden on your heart. Salt hides in foods and drinks that you might not expect. For instance, soup and bread each have high salt content. Be sure to check your food and drink packages carefully. You should speak to your doctor about what your mg/day salt intake should be.
Your Emotions and Your Heart
Is it a myth to die of a broken heart? Have you ever had a “racing heart” when you were excited? Or did you ever feel your heart beating up into your throat when you were frightened or frustrated? Negative emotions like frustration, stress, fear and even depression can be bad for the heart and lead to heart disease. Some research has suggested that three things can be particularly healthy for our hearts:
Gratitude. Make a list daily of all the things you are thankful for. Doing this regularly has a real effect on the smoothness and rhythm of the heartbeat.
Laughter. Watch comedies on TV, read the comic strip, and hang out with fun people who have a good sense of humor.
Connection. People with little social interaction have been shown to have higher rates of heart disease. Get out, find a group, take a class, call an old friend – your heart will be lighter.
2016 is a Leap Year
The Gregorian calendar, which now serves as the standard calendar for civil use throughout the world, has both common years and leap years. A common year has 365 days and a leap year 366 days, with the extra, or intercalary, day designated as February 29. A leap year occurs every four years to help synchronize the calendar year with the solar year, or the length of time it takes the earth to complete its orbit about the sun, which is about 365¼ days.
For more information on leap years: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/leapyear1.html
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