February is American Heart Month!   

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. The good news? It is also one of the most preventable. Here are a few ways you can be heart-smart.  

Adopt Healthy Habits

• Eat a healthy diet (lots of fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains; eating less processed foods, limiting sodium, saturated fats, etc.).
• Maintain a healthy weight (you don’t have to aim for “skinny,” just healthy).
• Get enough physical activity (2 1/2 hours of brisk cardiovascular conditioning is the minimum, but listen, we’re not basic, so get your butt moving more).
• Don’t smoke or vape (sorry, smoking is stupid; quit now).
• Limit alcohol use.

Get Checked

High cholesterol and blood pressure can increase your risk of heart disease. The kicker is that you can have high cholesterol and blood pressure and not even know it.  So, it’s a good idea to schedule annual checkups with your doctor and keep tabs on your numbers.  Are they too high?  Take steps to get them in line.  

For more information and resources, please check out the Centers for Disease Control at https://www.cdc.gov or the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org/.

And remember, love your body. It’s the only one you have.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂