February is a month for love, with Valentine’s Day celebrations taking place and the national health care spotlight shining on American Heart Month.
There are lessons to be learned from both the holiday and the awareness month. Spending time with people we love, and prioritizing heart-healthy foods and activities are all good for our body, mind, and spirit.
Cardiovascular disease (the combination of heart disease and stroke) remains the No. 1 killer of Americans, claiming the lives of about 2,300 people per day, according to the American Heart Association. It kills more people than all forms of cancer combined. The American Heart Association reports that most people don’t consider themselves at risk, and even if they do, they’re not motivated to change.
Motivation is a tricky thing, and our bodies are complex. It’s not easy to change habits or lifestyle. There are genetics at play, learned behaviors, lack of resources, mental health issues and many other challenges built into our everyday lives.
The good news is that cardiovascular disease can be prevented. Risk factors include obesity, smoking, chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure/cholesterol. These are all factors that can be controlled and/or improved to help prevent the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Please see below for some recommendations to help us improve our health. While we all know them, it’s practicing them what makes the difference.
Eat better
Progress, not perfection should be your mantra here. You’ve probably heard diets don’t work, and there’s some truth to that. Fad diets don’t work because they often produce immediate results but fail to change long-term behaviors. Start small by swapping soda for water with a few meals and order a side salad rather than fries a few times. Small changes will build to bigger successes. Also, eating more frequent small meals during the day rather than three large meals can help stave off hunger. Most importantly, find a method that works for you and you can stick with.
Move more
Integrating exercise into your daily/weekly routine can seem daunting if you’ve never done it before. Lean in to this by committing to 10-15 minutes, then increase your time by five minutes at a time once you get more comfortable. The goal is to move your body and find activity that you enjoy. For some people, that might mean CrossFit. For others, it means yoga, walking, running, lifting weights, or a combination of all those things. Remember that building muscle burns calories. Adding strength training to any activity will help boost your fitness goals.
Prioritize self-care
Let’s get one thing straight – self-care is not selfish. Taking care of yourself first makes you stronger to care for others, whether that’s a spouse or children, family members or friends. Get enough sleep (establish good morning and evening routines), work to quit smoking, and manage your stress through practices such as mindfulness and meditation. Talk to someone or seek help to work through feelings of anxiety or depression because mental health is just as important as physical health.
A great way to get started is to make an appointment with your primary care provider or family physician. If you don’t have one, ask around for recommendations and get established with a doctor. After a thorough physical exam and perhaps some bloodwork, your primary care provider can help define areas to address and help develop a plan to better achieve your goals. This first step can be daunting, but it’s better to measure and improve your health stats than to avoid them altogether.
It’s also a Leap Year, so we have an extra day – Feb. 29 – this month. That’s one more day to focus on self-care and taking the steps to live a healthier life.
It’s never too late to start making a better version of ourselves.
Pedro Rodriguez, MD, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon