Try These Heart Healthy Tips
February, American Heart month, is a good time to assess your "heart
healthy" behavior as heart disease remains the number one killer for both
men and women in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) statistics, more than 910,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease
in the U.S.
every year, approximately one death every 35 seconds.
Take a Look at Your Diet
A heart healthy diet is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt and high
in fiber, fruits, vegetables and grains. Making simple and gradual changes
in your diet such as using fat free dairy products and adding fruit and
vegetable servings can improve your heart health. Find some heart healthy
recipes at these sites:
Quit Smoking
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), smokers have more than
twice
the risk of having a heart attack as non smokers. Smoking is also the
biggest risk
factor for sudden cardiac death. The good news is the AHA also reports
smokers
that quit smoking return to a non smoker risk of heart disease in just 2 to
3 years.
Move It or Lose It!
Exercise improves heart function, lowers blood pressure, stress and
cholesterol, boosts energy and helps to control weight - all factors that
promote heart health. The general recommendation is to get at least 30
minutes of moderate exercise (test: you can talk easily but not sing while
doing it) on at least five but preferable most days of the week. The 30
minutes does not have to be done all at once, breaking it up in to 10 or 15
minute intervals are okay.
Making exercise a fun activity such as dancing, walking the dog or playing a
sport is just as healthy for your heart as a trip to the gym. Adding fitness
minutes to your day like taking the stair, parking in the farthest space and
generally moving as much as possible throughout the day will help increase
your heart health as well.
Keep an Eye on Your Weight
The statistics from the National Health Education and Nutrition survey state
that nearly one third of adults in the United States are obese. A simple
formula for managing a healthy body weight really comes down to calories in
and energy out. It is important that you find out how many calories you
should consume in a day if you want to lose weight. Simply multiply your
current body weight by 15 and you will get the number of calories needed to
maintain your current weight. So eating less than that amount per day
combined with exercise will give you a negative calorie balance and you will
begin to lose weight.
Maintaining good portion control can also be a helpful strategy in helping
to control weight. Over the decades, our sense of what a single portion is
has become distorted.