Ring, ring. That’s your heart calling, telling you to make a change. Remaking your eating and activity habits can stop or even reverse heart damage. It could also help you beat the odds showing that heart disease remains the number one killer of women.
Try these tips for a healthier, happier heart.
BE LIKE MICHAEL POLLAN. “EAT FOOD, NOT TOO MUCH, MOSTLY PLANTS”
Plant-based foods rich in dietary fiber scrub away plaque that clogs arteries. The spicy tofu sofritas from Chipotle is “an easy first step,” says Dr. Christopher Wenger, cardiologist with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. “Tofu becomes whatever you cook it in.”
QUIT SMOKING AND, YES, THAT INCLUDES VAPING
Smoking restricts the diffusion of oxygen into the blood cells, for long-term damage to the heart and lungs. That’s well-known. Now, research hints that vaping could also be heart-harmful. If you’re vaping to quit cigarettes, make sure to wean off the vaper too.
GET MOVING
The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of intense activity every week. “Walking is a free ride,” says Dr. Shelley Hankins, cardiologist specializing in advanced heart failure at Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute. “Stretching is a free ride.”
TAKE MEDS PROPERLY
If you’re on heart medication that delivers uncomfortable side effects, tell your doctor. Don’t stop taking the meds or self-adjust. Remember that recommended doses are averages, so if your body reacts poorly to a prescription, let your doctor make adjustments that address your unique needs.
DON’T FORGET: IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Families that change together get healthy together. “Empty out the cabinets,” says Hankins. “We all have to eat healthy together.” Turn your new habits into a fun challenge, like testing an enticing recipe from Forks Over Knives (forksoverknives. com). “Everyone’s behavior is trial and error,” says Wenger
WANT TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH?
CHECK OUT THESE LOCAL EVENTS:
Lancaster Heart Ball
Lancaster Country Club | February 1 | lancasterheartball.heart.org
York Go Red for Women Luncheon
Out Door Country Club | February 7 | facebook.com/ahasouthcentralpa/
Capital Region Heart Ball
Hershey Motor Lodge & Convention Center | February 22 | capitalregionpaheartball.heart.org
Lebanon Go Red for Women Luncheon
Royal Oaks Golf Course | February 28, 2020 | heart.org/lebanongored
2020 Virtual Heart Walk
American Heart Association | www2.heart.org
