February is Heart Health Month! Regardless of if you have heart disease, your family has a history of heart disease, or you’ve never considered your heart health— it’s always a good idea to make heart healthy lifestyle choices.
To reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, consider adopting a lifestyle that supports a healthy weight, a diet of whole foods, regular physical activity, and reduces your risk of high blood pressure.
Heart healthy lifestyle changes anyone can make at any time
- Eat a heart healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and products that are low in sodium, help maintain healthy blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
- Adding or maintaining physical activity in your day can help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce or manage cardiovascular risk factors. A short walk everyday can make a difference.
- Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke.
- Drink alcohol in moderation or avoid drinking altogether. If you don’t drink, then don’t start.
- Find activities or resources that help you manage and reduce your stress like building social connections, relaxation techniques, prioritizing sleep, and therapy.
Lifestyle is important to our health and wellbeing, but often we focus on lifestyle change as a reaction to a diagnosis instead of preventative medicine. Keep your heart healthy with a lifestyle change now. The best part about living a heart-healthy life is that more than your heart can benefit from these changes. You will find an overall increase in your wellbeing.
