 To celebrate American Heart Month, we invite you to join #OurHearts, a national heart health initiative that encourages people to improve heart health by working together. ❤️ If you worry that you or someone you love will get heart disease or even have a heart attack, it’s understandable. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). During American Heart Month, the NHLBI brings us #OurHearts, a national heart health initiative that encourages people just like you to improve your heart health. Research shows you can lower your risk for heart disease, particularly if you team up with family, friends or co-workers and keep each other accountable. According to NHLBI’s Dr. David Goff, director of cardiovascular sciences, studies show that having positive, close relationships and feeling connected to others benefits overall health, blood pressure, weight and more. Here's a few tips that can help lower your risk of heart disease.  Heart Risk: Being Inactive Heart Boost: Move more throughout your day. Aim for at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity. Build up to activity that gets your heart beating faster and leaves you a little breathless. If you’re busy, try breaking your daily activity into 10-minute chunks. How to Stay Motivated: Make walking dates with friends. Join a fitness class with your neighbor. Turn the music up and dance in your kitchen.  Heart Risk: An Unhealthy Diet Heart Boost: Consider an option like the NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, which scientifically proven to lower high blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels. How to Stay Motivated: Invite friends to cook up heart healthy recipes together. Start a lunch club at work and trade recipe ideas. Reward yourself occasionally for sticking to your healthy eating habits.  Heart Risk: Smoking Heart Boost: Quitting smoking can be beneficial to your overall health, if you’ve smoked for years, or even if you only smoke occasionally. Set a quit date and let those close to you know. If you’ve tried quitting in the past, consider what helped and what made it harder. How to Stay Motivated: Ask your family and friends for support or join a support group. Find free resources and connect with a trained quit counselor at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or smokefree.gov.  Heart Risk: Inadequate Sleep Heart Boost: Sleeping 7-8 hours each night helps improve heart health. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Getting a 30-minute daily dose of sunlight may also improve sleep. How to Stay Motivated: Resist that late afternoon nap. Turn off all screens at a set time nightly. Make your bedroom a cooler temperature. Relax by listening to music, reading or taking a bath.  Heart Risk: Uncontrolled Stress Heart Boost: To help manage stress, try any amount of mindfulness, meditation, relaxation therapy. If self help isn't enough, talk to a qualified mental health provider, a counselor through your employee assistance program, or a friend or loved one you trust. How to Stay Motivated: Join a friend or family member in a relaxing activity like walking, yoga or meditation every day. Healthy diet and a healthy amount of sleep will help contribute to a well-balanced day, #OurHearts Heart Healthy Resources
For informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Some links on this page may bring you to educational third party websites not affiliated with hellobenefits.
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