Healthy Heart

Your heart is a vital organ that needs to be cared for to be kept healthy and strong. What can we do to maintain a healthy heart? Protecting your heart can be as simple as taking a brisk walk, enjoying a good vegetable soup, or taking steps to maintaining a healthy weight. Additional ways to protect the health of your heart is by not smoking, using drugs or abusing alcohol.

Physical Activity
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60 percent of Americans are not meeting the recommended levels of physical activity. Is being physically active really that important to our health? Yes it absolutely is, the simple act of becoming physical activity decreases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease and certain cancers. Research shows that as little as 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 days a week helps to protect your health. Prevention is key, create a plan and let’s get moving!

Nutritious Eating
The American Heart Association recommends consuming an overall healthy diet pattern that emphasizes a variety fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes and non-tropical vegetable oils. It’s not easy making a lot of big changes all at once, but small changes do make a big difference. If we choose to eat what is good for us, considering our health at every meal our diet will soon become the heart healthy diet it should be.

Weight Loss
A small weight loss of just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight will help to lower your risks of heart disease and other serious medical disorders. The best way to lose weight is by becoming more physically activate and by following a heart healthy eating plan. Having a healthy goal to work towards of losing about 2 pounds a week is a realistic and healthy weight loss goal.

Smoking
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention individuals who smoke are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked each day. Smoking can also shorten a healthy life, because smokers are likely to suffer a heart attack or other major heart problem at least 10 years sooner than nonsmokers. If quitting all together seems impossible to do, try reducing the number of cigarettes smoked daily until eventually you’re no longer smoking. Keeping proactive in the health of your heart is crucial in maintaining a healthy lifestyle free of disease.

Resources:
CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention
American Heart Association

For more information contact Christine De La Rosa at 956-312-1406 or email at [email protected] or Los Frensos City Hall at 956-233-5768.