Small Differences That Make a Big Impact on Your Heart Health
February might be known as American Heart Awareness Month, but March is informally known as the month when all those suggestions are finally taken into consideration and tried out! Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. today. It is responsible for 84% of deaths for people over 65, and for women, heart disease is responsible for one in every three deaths. Because it’s such a serious medical condition, many people assume anything that would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease would need to be just as drastic as the disease itself.
Surprise: It’s not!
The smallest changes are often the most effective when reducing your risk of heart disease, because it’s easy to turn these small changes into regular healthy habits. If you’re looking for some feasible ways to focus on your heart health after February ends, here are a few of our favorite ideas:
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Start making small changes in your diet. Substituting dried herbs and spices for salt, for example, is an easy way to make your diet healthier. Eating around two cups of fruit and two cups of vegetables everyday is another simple, but effective way to make your meals healthier.
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Make sure to get your blood pressure checked regularly. If you already go to doctor’s appointments on a regular basis, you may already be doing this every month or so. If not, many pharmacies have machines that will measure your blood pressure quickly.
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If you’re a smoker, do your best to quit. Many adults who were once smokers say that they’ve quit, but around 8.4% of all adults over the age of 65 still smoke regularly, according to the 2013 survey “The State of Aging and Health in America.” Smoking is definitely not an easy habit to break, but it can make an enormous difference in the health of your heart. Even just decreasing the number of cigarettes you smoke each day counts for something!
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Exercising is one of the obvious ways to give your health a boost, but many people don’t realize that you don’t have to break a sweat in order to reap the benefits of being active. If you find that you’ve developed a rather sedentary lifestyle, just try going for a 15 minute walk three times a day. By the end of March, start increasing these walks to 30 minutes every other day.
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Take some time, every single morning, to calm your mind and to laugh a little. Many people start their day with short meditation — maybe just 10 or 15 minutes. Other people like to begin the day with a good laugh. If you start every morning on a good note, you’ll find that it’s easier to deal with physical and mental stress throughout the rest of the day.
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Speaking of mental health, take note of where you stand here. Depression affects at least one in seven Baby Boomers today, and it’s been connected with an increased risk of dying from heart disease. If you’ve been feeling a little blue lately — which is completely normal during the winter, by the way — some small changes can make a huge difference. You may want to ask your doctor if taking Vitamin D supplements is a good idea, or simply make sure that you spend a solid 10-15 minutes outside in the sunlight.
February may be known as the month for heart health awareness, but we’re getting ready to “March” toward better health even when it ends! Are you?
