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American Heart Month presses on inside the month of February! It’s a great awareness and a good reminder to focus on your heart health. The leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., is Heart disease. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. Some tips on how you can keep heart disease at bay.
1. Get Enough Sleep
During sleep your mind and body recharge, repair, and recover. Sleep is essential for your health.
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2. Reduce Your Stress Levels
If you are chronically stressed, your body remains in “fight or flight” mode. We all experience stress from time to time, so the key is knowing how to manage it with healthier habits like exercise and meditation.
3. Move More
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity or a combination of both.
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More activity helps you maintain your weight, improve your sleep, reduce your blood pressure, and lowers your risk of heart disease.
4. Reduce Blood Pressure
High blood pressure has no symptoms, so the only way to know is to have it checked. A normal blood pressure reading is less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic. You can control your blood pressure by eating a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight.
5. Quit Smoking
Smoking increases the risk of heart disease by 2 to 4 times and causes approximately one of every four deaths from cardiovascular disease. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the longer you’ve been a smoker, the higher your risk. If you quit smoking, your risk of a heart attack drops within a year.
You can start by focusing on one of these goals. Making good choices about your health will lead to a healthy heart.
