Heart disease is both preventable, curable
Who has the nerve to take a chocolaty delicious holiday like Valentine’s Day and make it into something heart healthy? The American Heart Association, that’s who. And during Annual Heart Month, the Centers for Disease Control is offering up a month-long program to improve your heart health.
“Heart disease is a major problem,” their website reads. “Every year, about 715,000 Americans have a heart attack. About 600,000 people die from heart disease in the United States each year - that’s one out of every four deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.”
And that’s not all. Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke cost the United States over $312 billion each year, including the cost of health care services, medications and lost productivity.
But the good news is that heart disease is preventable and controllable and although they recommend starting right now, in February, you can take these steps anytime of the year. The key is to take the steps.
The rules: Don’t become overwhelmed, don’t go it alone, don’t get discouraged and reward yourself. The whole idea is to take someone you care about with you on the journey. Heart health helps everyone including your spouse, your children, their friends, your friends and even the stranger you’ll walk by on the street or meet at the gym.
The plan for prevention includes eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, monitoring your blood pressure, not smoking, limiting alcohol, keeping your cholesterol in check and monitoring or preventing diabetes.
The CDC (www.cdc.gov//features/heartmonth) lines it all out starting with limiting salt intake. “Most adults (and children too) are eating too much sodium. In fact, we are eating about 3,400 mg of sodium a day when most of us should have only 1,500 mg per day. Eating too much sodium increases your risk for high blood pressure, a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.”
They recommend reading nutrition fact labels, eating more servings of fruits and vegetables, eating out less and cooking more at home. Eliminate the saltiest foods such as bread and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats and salted snacks. Take the salt shaker off the table to remove temptation.
Get moving, the CDC says, “Regular physical activity is a must for having a healthy heart. Commit to exercising five times per week or 150 minutes per week. Schedule your workout days on your calendar and treat them like an important appointment you can’t miss.”
They say to aim for 30 minutes of pumping iron to build muscle, or taking a class in salsa dancing, yoga, Pilates or kick-boxing. You can even go high-tech with an app on your smart phone that will help you reach your fitness goals.
Stop smoking. Period. Nothing else to add there.
Then, know your blood pressure and if you need medications to lower it, be sure to take them. Limit alcohol, it raises your blood pressure and adds useless calories.
And maybe the best advice is to take time to relax.“We live in a fast-paced hectic world that’s often stressful. Coping with stress by turning to excessive alcohol or smoking can raise the risk of high blood pressure. Instead, take some time daily to meditate. Sit quietly for 10-15 minutes, take slow, deep breaths and think peaceful thoughts.”
Yup, those peaceful thoughts with the rest of this advice will help you prevent heart disease. It’s that simple.
Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com or 264-4029.