February is American Heart Month, a time when we encourage everyone to become more aware of the things that affect your heart health.
Heart disease affects millions of Americans, and unfortunately it is the leading cause of death in this country. Because of barriers to early diagnosis and treatment, heart disease affects African Americans and other minority communities at higher rates.
Heart disease often happens when the blood vessels of the heart become damaged. Many different factors can place you at higher risk for developing heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, long-term and excessive alcohol use, high stress levels, obesity, and even genetics.
Here are seven things you can do to nurture your heart health in February and all year round:
- Exercise: We recommend leading an active lifestyle and trying to get up and get outside all days of the week. Ideally, you should get at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week to maintain good heart health. If physical activity is challenging, keeping an active lifestyle by taking the stairs, vacuuming, sweeping, gardening, and parking farther away from the entrance of the store are all good starting points while working your way up to more intense exercises.
- Choose healthy meals and snacks: Be sure to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit and fewer processed foods. Eating lots of food high in saturated and trans fats may contribute to heart disease. Limiting salt (sodium) in your diet can reduce your risk for developing high blood pressure or lower your blood pressure if you have a higher blood pressure. Reducing the amount of sugar in your diet can lower your blood sugar level to prevent or help control diabetes. You can still make your favorite recipes and, if needed, only make a few small changes to make them healthier. This can include reducing salt, using healthier oils, using more vegetables, and reducing or eliminating processed foods. Shopping around the outer rim of the grocery store is a good guide to help avoid processed foods. NorthPoint’s Food Shelf Is another resource that provides healthy, culturally appropriate, supplemental food to individuals and families in the community.
- Quit or reduce smoking: Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease. Smoking cigarettes raises your blood pressure and heart rate and can also lead to damage of blood vessels, leading to heart disease. If you don’t smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk of heart disease. NorthPoint can help you if you want to reduce or quit smoking.
- Check your blood pressure: High blood pressure can lead to heart disease by causing damage to the blood vessels of the heart. High blood pressure does not always have symptoms, so it is helpful to check your blood pressure regularly. You can check your blood pressure with your own monitor at home, a public blood pressure station at a grocery store or pharmacy, at a local fire station, or at NorthPoint.
- Get plenty of sleep and rest: Getting the right amount of sleep can help lower risk of heart disease. We recommend at least 7-9 hours of sleep daily (adults) to reduce our risk. Tips for getting better sleep include creating a sleep schedule, avoid eating heavy meals and drinking alcohol before bed, exercising during the day, and avoiding use of screens (laptops, tablets and cell phones) in the bed.
- Find out your family history: If one of your biological parents had heart disease or a heart attack before age 55, you may be at greater risk for heart disease. Ask your family about their history of heart disease and heart attacks. If you can’t ask your parents, ask aunts, uncles, and extended family members what they may know. This information can help you and your doctor help make good decisions about taking care of your heart health.
- Talk to a doctor about your heart: Doctors can help you decide what is best for your heart health. If you don’t have a primary medical provider, the first step is finding a provider you can trust. NorthPoint is a one-stop place to receive services, and we help individuals and families in all financial situations. Once you have found a provider, ask them questions about your heart health, what your risk is, and what you can do to prevent yourself from developing heart disease.
NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center can help you keep your heart health in check with primary medical providers, staff dieticians, health coaches, and blood pressure education groups. For more information, call 612-543-2500 or visit northpointhealth.org.
Dr. Kevin L. Gilliam is Medical Director at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center. He is a primary care physician and leads the Hypertension Management Team. He enjoys biking and being outdoors.
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