American Heart Month: Show Your Heart Some Love

There’s no time like now to show your heart some love!

The American Heart Association reveals that heart disease remains to be the number one cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 800,000 Americans each year, and taking the lives of more individuals than all kinds of cancer combined.

The good news is, we can do our part in changing that, through prevention and education. At Physicians Premier, we are dedicated to helping you not become a statistic. This American Heart Month, we encourage you to make the time to incorporate healthy habits into your routine and make certain lifestyle changes to ensure that your heart is healthy and pumping for much longer.

Show your heart some love by making healthier food and lifestyle choices, including:

Making good diet choices

Make a resolve to eat healthier, choose low-fat dairy products, including more fruits and vegetables, and cut down on the amount of fat that you consume.

Consume more fish

We Texans love to eat meat, but do your best to substitute meat for fish at least twice a week. Having a diet that is loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids will do wonders in heart disease prevention.

Load up on fiber

Go for fiber-rich foods like whole wheat bread, oats, legumes, and beans. Eating fiber-rich foods will cause you to feel full more quickly, and they take a longer time for your digestive system to process – allowing you to feel full for a longer amount of time. The result? You will eat less and probably lose a few pounds along the way, all without sacrificing your food intake.

Cut down your salt intake

Research shows a strong link between raised blood pressure levels and the amount of salt consumed. Sadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that Americans consume too much salt. In fact, about 90 percent of Americans consume more than the recommended daily amounts of sodium. A study from The New England Journal of Medicine discovered that cutting salt intake can reduce the number of heart diseases significantly.

Get moving

Yes, you are busy most of the time, but did you know that only 150 minutes of physical activity per week or 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day can do a world of difference to your heart health? There’s really no need to go to the gym if your schedule doesn’t allow for it, putting more pep into your daily chores, a nice walk around the neighborhood, or some fun dancing sessions with the kids might do the trick.

Spotting a heart attack

1 out of 4 Americans die from heart attacks. To help save lives, know how to recognize a heart attack, so you can take fast action. Note that not all chest pains are indicative of a heart attack, however, there are some obvious signs.

• Discomfort or pain in the chest
• Neck, jaw, or back pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Lightheadedness
• Shortness of breath
• Pain or discomfort in the shoulders or jaw

When it comes to heart attacks, time is of the essence. If you risk waiting longer, the chances of survival will decrease. If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the signs and symptoms listed above, bring them to your local emergency room in Bryan, TX for evaluation and timely treatment.

Sources:

“Projected Effect of Dietary Salt Reductions on Future Cardiovascular Disease,” The New England Journal of Medicine, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0907355
“Sodium,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/sodium.htm
“Sodium Intake and Hypertension,” National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770596/
“American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids,” AHA, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults