The 6 Best Things You Can Do for Your Heart

Denise's Blog
The 6 Best Things You Can Do for Your Heart

Hi everyone,

Is everyone ready for Valentine’s Day?! I love this holiday — what’s better than celebrating all the love we have in our lives? (My birthday is also February 13, so I get to enjoy two days in a row of celebrating every year!) What are your plans for the holiday? Are you spending it with your significant other, your kids, or maybe your friends? I would love to hear!

It’s also important to remember that February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is a leading killer in this country, so taking the proper steps to keep your heart healthy is so important — and there’s plenty we can do to protect ourselves! Here are the 6 most important things you can do to keep your heart in tip-top shape:

See your doctor. Get your blood pressure tested and your cholesterol checked at regular intervals to make sure you numbers are at a healthy level.
Start exercising on a regular basis — even 20 minutes a day will do the trick. Pick a cardiovascular activity that gets your heart rate up, such as light jogging, swimming , in-line skating, a salsa dance class, kickboxing, bike riding or tennis — the possibilities are endless!
Eat more heart-healthy foods, including fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and cheese and skim or low-fat milk. Looking for some delicious meals that will boost your heart health? Try my Teriyaki Salmon With Scallion-Cucumber Relish, Curried Chicken With Almonds and Currants or Avocado Quesadillas.
Beat stress! Long-term uncontrolled stress can cause chronic conditions like high blood pressure, so it’s important to take the right steps to keep it under control. Next time you’re feeling stressed, take a break somewhere comfortable and quiet and focus on taking deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Activities like taking a bath, listening to calming music and exercising are also great stress-reducers.
If you smoke, it's high time to quit this deadly habit! Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States today — and studies have shown that fruits and veggies can be more effective and do a lot more good in your body if they don't have to compete against the toxins from smoking.
Walk more. Do you walk the recommended 10,000 steps a day? If not, it's a great health goal to strive for! Taking 10,000 steps burns approximately 300 calories and, over time, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. Research has proven that people who wear pedometers walk more, so if you don’t think you’re hitting the 10,000 mark, invest in a pedometer and start tracking your steps!

Share this advice with all the loved ones in your life — and have a very happy, healthy Valentine’s Day!

Love,
Denise