February is heart health awareness month, meaning, it’s the perfect time to start the conversation about protecting your heart!

Did you know? “About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.“*

                                                                                     *https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

Yes, it’s true that your risk for heart disease increases with age, but it’s also true that you can get heart disease at any age. You may be at a higher risk if you can check yes to one or more of the following:

          1. Diabetes

          2. High blood pressure

          3. Smoker

          4. Obesity

          5. Unbalanced diet

          6. Lack of physical activity

          7. High cholesterol

          8. Family history of heart disease

How to help get back on track to a healthier heart (and healthier YOU!):

You may be surprised by how much all of these categories coordinate with one another. A simple fix to most of the above is to focus on a healthier lifestyle. Your body is THE most important thing you will ever care for!

• Fruits, Veggies, & Nuts – increasing your intake of these doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds. Start small by replacing one side per meal with one of these healthier options and overtime, you will find yourself actually craving more and more of them! 
• Reduce Stress – make the time to dedicate to YOU each day. Find an activity you enjoy doing and whether that’s an hour of reading, meditating, taking a bath, watching a movie, playing a board game, knitting, etc., your overall mindset will greatly improve. PS – getting plenty of sleep helps with this as well. 
• Increase Activity – this may sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Simple little “steps” can make a world of difference. Some ideas include: Taking your pup for a walk around your block, opting for a few flights of stairs vs. the elevator, setting a timer to get up and move every hour during the day, gardening, playing golf, taking your kids / grandkids to the park, swimming laps in your community pool, and so much more. 30 minutes per day is suggested, but if you have to break that up into three 10-minute intervals, that’s okay too!
• Smart shopping – try and limit the amount of processed foods you put in your cart and look at the nutrition labels! Unfortunately, there are a lot of “extra” ingredients packed into things we consume daily. Some important aspects to be looking at are: lower sodium levels, limited saturated fats, and either no (or low amounts of) added sugars.
• Regular screening – it doesn’t hurt to visit your doctor’s office for regular check-ups. As with most diseases, it’s better to catch this earlier on.