February is American Heart Month so I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how to keep our hearts healthy. Some tips will not surprise anyone such as don’t smoke, maintain a healthy weight and exercise. But I want to get more specific with what can either prevent or contribute to heart problems. Let’s begin by looking at the top risk factors for heart disease. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (a division of the National Institutes for Health (NIH)), these include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or pre-diabetes, smoking, being overweight or obese, sedentary lifestyle, family history of heart disease, unhealthy diet, having preeclampsia during pregnancy and age (greater than 55 for women). Some risk factors we cannot control such as our age, family history or developing preeclampsia during pregnancy. The good news is we can control the other risk factors in most cases by making some diet and lifestyle changes. The first thing we need to know is whether we have any risk factors. Do you have a family history of heart disease? Is your blood pressure normal? What are your blood cholesterol levels? Do you have pre-diabetes or diabetes? Do you smoke? Are you considered overweight or obese? Do you get at least 30 minutes of exercise (in addition to your normal daily activity) most days of the week? Do you get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables most days of the week? Do you limit your sodium and saturated and trans fat intake? How about your stress level? Do you have a healthy outlet for managing stress? How you answer these questions determines what areas need focus for making changes. We are going to look at each modifiable risk factor in a series of posts during the month of February. Look for more information on your risk factor(s).
Other articles in this series:
A Healthy Weight for Heart Health
Blood Pressure and Heart Health
Stress Management and Heart Health
For more information, you can find a free 127-page book “The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women” from the NHLBI website. There are other resources for men as well but this one is particularly geared to create awareness of heart disease in women. Heart disease is still the #1 killer of both men and women in the United States. Let’s work on making our heart happy and healthy this February.
