When you think about the month of February, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Valentine’s Day. In addition to sharing your love with that special someone in your life, February is American Heart month, making it the perfect time to show your own heart some love as well.
Despite how important our hearts are, cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes, is the number one killer of men and women in America. Cardiovascular disease is also the leading cause of disability because of the long term and irreversible damage it causes the heart. While this is sobering information, there’s good news. Everyone can reduce their risks of suffering from cardiovascular disease by making small changes in their everyday lives. To help spread the word about heart health this month,ReactDx Inc.has tips you can follow to reduce your risks of cardiovascular disease and information about cardiac monitoringdevices.
- Visit your physician regularly – Make sure you talk to your doctor about your heart health and get tested regularly. Your doctor can let you know if you need to be concerned with your blood pressure or cholesterol and let you know what you can do to fix the problem.
- Eat a healthy diet – Make sure you have a healthy variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. Avoid saturated fats and high levels of sodium to reduce the your cholesterol and blood-pressure levels.
- Exercise regularly – The Surgeon General recommends about 150 minutes of physical activity per week for adults. Physical activity helps to strengthen your heart and eat away at fat that is built up in your body that would otherwise strain your heart.
- Stop smoking – It’s been known for years that smoking is bad for your health. Smoking causes inflammation of the blood vessels that scars and weakens them over time. It also causes the vessels to become sticky and increase the likelihood of a clot forming and blocking blood flow. Seek help to stop as soon as possible.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to do all of these at once. Each of these changes, no matter how simple it may seem, takes time to truly become a new part of your life. Take it one step at a time, your heart will thank you with a long and healthy life. ReactDx Inc. also provides cardiac monitoring solutions for heart-disease patients.
