Healthy Heart, Healthy Body

Healthy Heart, Healthy Body
            
February is Heart Health Awareness month. The Go Red for Women campaign has done a wonderful job bringing to light the effects of heart disease in women. What are some simple steps we can all take to increase our heart health as well as our overall health? Let’s visit the American Heart Association Go Red for Women website for some helpful tips. https://www.goredforwomen.org/#

  1. Participate in regular cardiovascular exercise to increase and maintain heart health. The AHA (American Heart Association) recommends that we participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity 5 days a week or 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity 3 days a week. Combine your cardiovascular exercise with Moderate to high intensity strength training exercise at least 2 days a week. 
  2. Eat a diet rich in heart healthy foods such as leafy greens, extra virgin olive oil, fish, nuts, and berries. The darker color in the produce, the more antioxidants it has to aide in your heart health. 
  3. Learn to manage your stress. When we become stressed, our bodies release adrenaline into the blood stream. This causes our blood pressure and heart rate to spike. If we are constantly under stress, our body never gets a chance to rest and recover. The constant release of adrenaline will cause sustained damage to our artery wall. Practicing yoga, taking a few deep breaths, and learning to manage our stress will go a long way to increasing our heart health.

This activity infographic was on the Go Red for Women website. Here’s the link: https://www.goredforwomen.org/live-healthy/heart-healthy-exercises/what-exercise-is-right-for-me/

For more tips on heart health, visit https://www.goredforwomen.org/#. For Health & Wellness tips and healthy recipes, visit our Pinterest board at https://www.pinterest.com/5aspace/. Here’s a short video posted on the Go Red for women website of exercises we can do using things we have at home.


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