American Heart Month: Raising Awareness for a Healthier Heart
February is American Heart Month, which is the perfect time to invest in your cardiovascular health. Investing in your heart health can help you identify risk factors to make better lifestyle choices. Learn how to manage heart-related conditions, know which risks to look for, and learn prevention tips with our comprehensive guide.
What is American Heart Month?
American heart health month is a time to raise awareness on the leading cause of death for men, women, and most ethnic groups: heart disease. The severity of cardiovascular disease is real as one person dies from this disease every 33 seconds. During American heart month, take this time to visit your doctor for a check up, boost your knowledge on heart-related issues, and learn the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
Why is Heart Health Important?
As you get older, natural changes in the heart and blood vessels occur, which can trigger heart disease and other related health issues. If you are wondering why is heart health important, it is because it can be a major reason for disability and can greatly impact your quality of life. Speak with your doctor if you have any heart-related questions or concerns as you age.
What Does American Heart Month Mean for Women?
American heart month is especially important for women as it is the number one killer of women. Almost 45% of women aged 20 and older are dealing with some form of cardiovascular disease. Natural occurrences such as pregnancy and menopause can put women at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
What are the Risk Factors for Heart Disease?
There are certain factors that could put you at a higher risk of heart disease. Knowing what these factors are can help you decrease your chances of developing heart disease. Some circumstances that can put you at higher risk include:
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Having an unhealthy diet
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Engaging in excessive alcohol use
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Not exercising enough
Fortunately, you can make simple lifestyle changes to improve heart health naturally.
1. Unhealthy Diet
Eating an unhealthy diet can greatly contribute to heart disease. More than two-thirds of heart disease-related deaths can be traced to eating a poor diet. Focus less on foods high in sodium and saturated fat and instead focus on fresh vegetables, fruit, and lean protein.
2. Drinking Alcohol Excessively
Imbibing often can have serious side effects, such as an increase in being at risk for heart disease. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), drinking excessively translates to more than one drink each day for women and two or fewer drinks for men per day. While drinking moderately can raise good cholesterol levels (HDL) and protect against heart disease, having more than this can cause heart failure, stroke, or high blood pressure.
3. Not Getting Enough Physical Activity
Exercising can strengthen your heart, so it's important to work out often. Working out helps your heart pump blood to your lungs and the rest of your body. Doing 150 minutes of moderate cardio a week can reduce your risk for stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. Your workout doesn't need to be intense; it just needs to be consistent.
Make sure to get up often, especially if your job requires mostly sitting. For a little health boost, consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator if you work on the third floor. If you have a desk job, it is important to take small breaks and do workouts in bursts to make sure your body is getting enough physical activity to stay healthy.
Prevention Steps to Take During Heart Health Month
American heart month is all about being aware of your heart health and making lifestyle changes for heart health improvement. Go for a heart screening, avoid over eating, and have a limit when drinking. Make sure to relax on days that are stressful to help keep your blood pressure from rising.
To protect others, learn how to perform CPR. More than 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest, and most of the time people don't know what to do. Help save someone's life by knowing how to safely perform CPR and conquer cardiac arrest.
Try Relaxation Techniques for American Heart Health Month
Incorporating some relaxation techniques into your routine can help reduce stress and blood pressure. Try focusing on your breathwork by adding yoga, pilates, or meditation to your schedule to help you relax and recharge. You can also utilize the massage features of a zero gravity recliner for the ultimate relaxation and stress relief.
Invest in Tools Like the Zero Gravity Recliner
The zero gravity recliner promotes relaxation which can help improve your heart health. Relaxing can help reduce inflammation, high blood pressure and hypertension, while boosting mental health and improving heart rhythm. You can even use the zero gravity to perform some safe chair exercises for multi-tasking such as ankle and wrist rolls, seated torso twists, and seated forward bend.
Other tools you may want to invest in besides a zero gravity recliner include a treadmill or other kind of exercising machine that gives you a good cardio workout. You could also purchase a heart rate monitor, track your heart rate on an app, or invest in a device that you can wear like the Apple Watch and Fitbit. When purchasing equipment, you don't need to purchase the most expensive item as any investment towards your heart health is a valuable one.
Join a Heart Healthy Community
Make your health a priority by joining social media groups and taking responsibility. Be sure to take progress pictures of your journey and document your eating habits. By communicating with others, you can hold yourself accountable while also picking up healthy tips.
Check In With Your Doctor
Be sure to check in with your doctor frequently as they can detect issues that you might not be able to. Once a person is in their twenties, they should get regular screenings done, with more frequent visits as they get older. These tests may include blood pressure, cholesterol, or a stress test, and you may be at heightened risk if you smoke, have high blood pressure, or have a family history of heart disease.
How to Make the Most of American Heart Health Month
You can make the most of American heart month by being aware of the actions and effects that daily activities can have on your body. You can start small such as choosing lean protein over fatty cuts and incorporating physical activities into your daily routine. The most important thing about American heart month is knowing where you can do better and make those changes to live your healthiest life.
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