Health Feature Articles
Seven simple steps to heart health
Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, nutrition and health education specialist, Barton County, University of Missouri Extension
February is National Heart Month, which means it’s a great time to assess your risk for heart disease and make needed changes to decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.
The American heart Association has developed a tool to help you assess your health called My Life Check. You can find it online at http://mylifecheck.heart.org/. The survey asks questions about seven areas of your health, then your results tell you the areas you are excelling at and where you need improvement.
The American Heart Association also lists The Simple Seven —
steps you can take to live better.
The Simple Seven includes:
- Stop smoking: Smoking increases the risk for heart disease, as well as other chronic conditions.
- Manage blood pressure: One of every three adults has high blood pressure and many don’t even know they have it. High blood pressure is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. The goal is to have your blood pressure be less than 120 over 80. It’s important to have your blood pressure checked regularly.
- Lose weight: Too much fat, especially around your waist, puts you at a higher risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Losing that weight helps decrease your risk.
- Eat better: A diet that includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is a great start to a healthier body. The American Heart Association also recommends that you eat fish twice a week — oily fish like salmon and mackerel contain omega 3 fatty acids, which may help reduce blood clotting in the arteries and protect from hardening of the arteries. For heart health, limit saturated and trans fats, and choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.
- Control cholesterol: Keep total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL. Cholesterol can build up in the arteries, increasing the risk factors for heart attack and stroke.
- Get active: Daily moderate exercise — try for at least 30 minutes a day — can reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Reduce blood sugar: Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar low. If you don’t have diabetes, work to prevent it by eating healthy, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight.
When you complete the My Life Check survey, you will receive recommendations for steps you need to take to be healthier. Simple steps can result in long strides to your health and well-being.
When a person does suffer from a heart attack, getting the patient to the hospital quickly is crucial for life-saving measures to be taken. For this, the American Heart Association says it is important to know the warning signs of a heart attack. Signs include:
- Chest discomfort that may feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body which may include one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs which may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
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Last Updated 08/18/2010
