Love Your Heart: Five Steps to a Healthier Heart
Do you really know if you’re heart healthy?
By Mountain-Pacific
Give yourself the gift of heart health this Valentine’s Day by seeing your doctor to find out if you are heart healthy. Following these five steps will help put you on the path to better health:
See your doctor.
The only way to truly know if you’re heart healthy is to see your doctor to get your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels checked. You won’t know if you don’t go.
Quit tobacco.
Stop all forms of tobacco immediately! Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and causes one in every three deaths. Read our blog about quitting tobacco for more tools and resources.
Work out.
Exercise moderately five times a week. Try walking for 20 minutes every day, or pick another activity that you enjoy. Talk with your doctor about alternative activities if a medical condition limits your exercise.
Reduce alcohol consumption.
Drink alcohol in moderation, and limit your alcohol consumption to one or two drinks no more than five days a week. Alcohol can hurt your heart and increases your blood pressure, which can lead to a heart attack.
Follow a Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan that mainly consists of plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The diet encourages the use of herbs and spices to flavor food instead of salt, and it replaces butter with healthier oils.
Check out more Mountain-Pacific blogs on healthy living.
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