February is American Heart Month. We all want to live longer. Thanks to heart health guidelines for preventing heart disease and stroke — the leading causes of death in the world — we now have a better understanding of how to do it.
“It doesn’t matter if you are 9, 29 or 79 — there is always a way to get your health on track,” says Sharon Minjares, director of the Wellness Institute at Lake Health and an advocate for the American Heart Association. “Whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking, lower your stress or just feel better in general, when you make your health a priority, you can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.”
Prevention begins with an assessment by your healthcare provider that considers your race, gender, age, heart, stroke risk and high blood pressure. Personalized treatment focuses on four critical areas: obesity, cholesterol, lifestyle, and assessing risk for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases based on family history.
The AHA still promotes diet and exercise as key for keeping your weight in check, but now suggests a team-based weight-loss treatment plan and strategies for slimming down work better for most people.
Remember hearing about that “bad cholesterol number”? It is not a main factor in guiding treatment these days. Instead, your overall health status and risks are the guide.
Exercise and diet works. As a guideline, 40 minutes of exercise three to four days a week should become part of your lifestyle. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables daily promotes good overall health, too. Reducing salt intake helps reduce your blood pressure in most circumstances.
The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). You can divide that time into three or four segments of 10 minutes per day. To make a simple change to improve your heart health, just start walking.
