3 Healthy Habits to Help Protect Your Heart

Before we wrap up March and head into a new spring season, we wanted to give you a toolkit to boost you and your client’s heart health throughout this season and beyond!

It all starts with setting goals and developing critical health habits.

But before we dive into the habits you should implement, make sure you know the warning signs of heart disease and cardiac arrest, as they can differ dramatically between men and women. They include Pressure, discomfort or pain in the chest In men, some experience pain in the chest, shortness of breath, unexplained arm pain, shoulder, back, neck and jaw pain, and/or overall weakness. Women may experience stomach issues, such as indigestion, vomiting and nausea, trouble sleeping, and unusual tiredness

Now, let’s talk about the ways you can prevent it all from happening!

Diet

If you or your client are overweight, make it a priority to adjust not just what you are eating, but the amount too. Make sure your grocery list includes:

Foods are high in fiber like fresh fruits and vegetables. When choosing your greens, avoid salads and lettuce without much nutritional value. Instead, reach for spinach, kale, and cabbage!
Instead of salt, pepper, or other fatty or salty dressings or spices, invest in fresh herbs and garlic to add and flavor foods. This can make a big difference, plus, your kitchen will smell great!

Exercise

Instead of dreading exercise, not to mention helping your loved one or client exercise, break it down into a quick activity you can do in the morning, afternoon, and after dinner. In a matter of no time, you’ll be getting your 30 minutes in each day and won’t feel like you have to carve out precious time to work out. Try this:

Morning: brisk walk or jog outside or around your home for 15 minutes
Afternoon: do 15 jumping jacks, 15 pushups and stretch for 10 minutes
Evening: Dedicate another 15 or more minutes to walking outside or trying out a workout video with your client
can reduce heart disease as it will keep the muscle active and strong and also help you maintain a healthy weight.

Tobacco intake is known to have a negative impact on your heart and your lungs, so take steps to quit smoking. Excessive alcohol is also very harmful to your heart.

Measure your heart rate

The quickest and easiest way to self-check your heart is to take your pulse! Your heart rate helps your doctor understand the strength of blood flow throughout your body. The higher it gets, the higher the risk that your heart may be in trouble.

To check your own pulse, you should:
Get a watch with a second hand.
Put your index and middle finger on the inner wrist of the opposite arm and you should feel a pulsing sensation below your fingers.

Count the number of pulses you feel in 10 seconds and multiply that number by 6.
If this number is consistently lower than 60 or higher than 100, it is an indication of an irregular heartbeat and should be checked out by a healthcare professional.