American Heart Health Awareness Month: Keeping Your Heart Healthy

Posted by williamjack on February 10th, 2020

Many people are unaware of this but on the first Friday of every February, which is referred to as American Heart Health Awareness Month, millions of Americans swarm the streets with red sharing a common goal — combating heart disease and stroke. From students to teachers, bankers to Wall Street brokers, doctors to feds, everyone wears red on this day to help raise awareness about heart health and encourage others to take care of their heart to prevent heart diseases. 

Considering you may want to contribute towards this common goal of eradicating heart problems, we have compiled a few heart health tips that you can imply on yourself and give to everyone around you, from family members to friends to colleagues and others. 

Here’s are some tips to keep your heart in good shape:

Eat healthily. Consuming healthy foods, such as green vegetables, fruits, nuts, and others not only provides your body with the necessary nutrients but also keeps your heart in good condition.

Avoid processed food. Processed foods contain added-preservatives, chemicals, etc. and are rich in fat, sugar, and empty calories, all of which are linked to increased risk of heart problems, including stroke. 

Maintain ideal weight. According to statistics, obesity is directly linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions. Maintaining an ideal weight may help you avoid serious heart problems.

Engaging in physical activity, such as sports, gym, running, etc. is known to improve overall health, including heart health. Make sure to exercise at least thrice a week. 

Avoid alcohol and drugs. Alcohol not only affects your liver but it also takes a toll on your heart health and blood pressure level, which is linked to stroke. 

Quit smoking. Smoking constricts blood vessels, which restricts blood flow to the heart. Gradually, this leads to heart problems, including stroke, arrhythmia, and others. 

Manage stress. Studies link stress to changes in the way our body clots blood, which is a potential risk factor for heart disease. Use a Holter EKG device to monitor your stress level. 

Control your cholesterol level and blood pressure. Keeping track of cholesterol levels and blood pressure is a good way to prevent serious heart disease. Pay regular visits to your medical doctor who will use Holter EKG to monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol level.

Final Note

Turns out, there has never been a better time than American Heart Health Awareness Month to adopt healthy behaviors and raise awareness about heart disease and stroke. Make sure you have a fair share of contribution towards making America healthy.