February is American Heart Month.
Heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women in the U.S.
The good news is, 80% of heart disease is preventable if you control your risk factors like high blood pressure, diet and exercise.
For this In Good Health, Whitney Amann has some tips from to help reduce your risk for heart disease.
It’s one of the most important muscles in your body…
“Imagine a muscle the size of a fist that pumps blood to the rest of your body,” said Dylan Rosenthal, McLaren exercise physiologist.
Working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“So just like a car needs an engine, an engine oil to help it run, as our heart pumps blood and circulates blood and an engine is circulating oil you have to do constant repairs to a vehicle to make sure that it runs properly and smoothly,” said Rosenthal.
Same goes for your heart.
“More women actually die of heart disease than men and more women die of heart disease versus any type of cancer more than breast cancer, any other type of cancer,” said Jacqueline Harris, McLaren exercise physiologist.
While some people are more predisposed to getting heart disease, there are simple changes everyone can make.
“Making sure that we’re managing our heart health is so important to maintain longevity vitality in this life,” said Harris.
The American Heart Association recommends getting a minimum of two-and-a-half hours of exercise every week.
30 minutes a day, five days a week.
“I know it’s cold out, so make yourself join a gym, join a center if you’re not going to go outside,” said Harris. “It’s dark in northern Michigan, we need to find something to entertain ourselves besides Netflix.”
But just like needing a well-balanced diet, you need a well-rounded exercise plan.
So make sure to incorporate a cardio routine and resistance training.
“I would recommend either seeking out some type of professional assistance with that, whether it’s personal trainer, instructor, someone that’s accredited and knows what they’re doing,” said Rosenthal.
And some kind of restorative exercise plan.
“So that could be a yoga, that can be Pilates, that can be in a sauna and static stretching,” said Rosenthal. “It could be your own thing. I mean, it could be used in a pool.”
And these can all be done without a gym membership or even leaving your house.
Another risk factor to be mindful of? Stress.
With stress feeling like it’s everywhere we turn lately, it’s important to add some tools and techniques into your daily routine.
“Meditation tools, imagery, taking time to relax and rest and taking time to unplug and a lot of this has to do with basic things like scheduling, managing a task list, staying organized.,” said Rosenthal. “Those are all things that can contribute to less stress.”
But remember, it’s okay to start small.
“When I go see the patients post heart attack or post stent and I go to see them and I tell them everything in moderation and start slowly because it’ll be too stressful for you to give up everything,” said Harris. “Start a new exercise program, change your diet, stop smoking, if you try to do all that at once, it is very stressful and then you tend to quit.”
McLaren Northern Michigan was named a top 50 cardiovascular hospital by IBM Watson Health.
Friday February 4th is your chance to bring awareness to cardiovascular disease and “go red”.
You can join in on the igniting a wave of red on “national wear red day”.
For more heart health tips, click .
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