February is Heart Health Month: Have a Healthy Heart Year Around
February is the month of love and our hearts are at the center of our ability to care for ourselves and others. Let’s keep the focus on a healthy heart going year-around! Check-out these seasonally inspired ideas to support a healthy lifestyle and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Schedule Your Annual Check-Up
Schedule your annual physical with your healthcare practitioner for the same time each year. This appointment will provide valuable information such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Your provider will also assess other risk factors such as:
Personal & family history of high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol
Lifestyle factors like tobacco & alcohol use, physical activity level, and diet
Other health concerns such as diabetes, mental health, gum disease, & kidney disease
Few people are eager to discuss cardiovascular disease with their practitioners, but this appointment will give you a road map as you set goals for your heart health throughout the next year.
Get Moving with the Seasons
Physical activity improves your heart health and every aspect of your well-being, mind and body. Movement is key to a healthy lifestyle and will help manage stress and improve your fitness level. Any activity counts no matter how big or small and can lead to more significant lifestyle changes.
Try to get outdoors. Numerous studies have revealed that being in nature benefits heart health by reducing stress hormone levels, decreasing heart rate, and achieving lower blood pressure.
Don’t let the change of seasons stop you. The change in climate can be invigorating. Be prepared for different weather with a variety of clothing and plan to be outdoors at an ideal time of day.
Each season should provide fresh opportunities to go outside and get your heart beating. Adding physical activity to your routine is key; gardening, snow clearing, swimming, brisk walking, leaf raking, and other every day activities are great ways to enjoy the outdoors and to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Choose an activity level that is attainable for you. Maybe walking to the mailbox is a huge leap for you. Others may be able to shoot for a bike ride or a swim at the community pool.
If you are not able to get outside find a gym or home routine that adds more physical activity to your day.
Eat Fresh with the Seasons
Healthy eating is an important part of achieving heart health.
Many experts encourage people to eat as seasonally and locally as possible. There is proof that foods are more nutritious when they are fresh. Produce that is in-season provides our bodies what they need at specific times of the year. For instance, fall sweet potatoes prepare our bodies to fend off viruses during the cold season with their vitamin A boost.
Most communities host farmer’s markets and produce stands April – October. Plan a weekly outing to walk around the bountiful booths and gather fruits and vegetables for your heart healthy diet.
Prepare your vegetables by steaming them or with healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil to protect your heart and blood vessels.
Many people do not eat vegetables until dinner. Chill in the summer by adding fresh baby spinach to your blueberry smoothie or add a zing with red bell pepper to your omelet on a cold winter day. Put crisp romaine or butter lettuce on your sandwich during your lunch break. Prep carrot and celery sticks in advance for a quick snack. Increasing your intake of vegetables will help you maintain a healthy weight and will add heart healthy fiber to your diet.
For your protein ask your fresh fish counter what is wild-caught and in season. Most fish provides good cholesterol (HDL) and are a great choice for any meal.
Reduce your risk of heart disease with a balanced diet rich in healthy fats, whole grains, and fruits & vegetables. Eating seasonally will increase your food’s nutritional value and max out the flavor for enjoyable meals that will keep you craving for more!
Special Occasions Throughout the Year
The year is full of seasons of celebration, travel, and holidays. You can still enjoy yourself when the festivities begin.
Limit fried foods that contain harmful trans fat. When you are splurging still try to incorporate as many veggies as possible; go for the lettuce, tomato, and onions on your burger! When raising your glass consider a red wine. The American Heart Association states that there is evidence that red wine can reduce the risk of dying of a cardiovascular event like a stroke, heart attack, or heart failure.
Achieving a heart healthy diet is a marathon not a sprint. After you have indulged don’t be discouraged, but get back to more nutritional choices when the party is over.
Have a Healthy Heart Year Around
As Heart Health Awareness Month comes to a close adopt healthy habits year around that will decease your risk for developing heart disease. Physical activity and healthy diet choices throughout the year will keep your heart healthy lifestyle exciting and easier to accomplish.
