Consider 5 healthy lifestyle habits during American Heart Month – South Central Florida Life

By Dr. Danielle Madril
Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare of Florida

February serves as American Heart Month, providing an opportune time to recognize and address the risk factors for heart disease. That’s crucial considering a recent report by the American Heart Association found heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with over 941,000 Americans dying of this disease every year.

This translates to nearly 2,500 deaths every day, even though 80% of those cases are preventable. Alarmingly, the prevalence of heart disease continues to rise due to increasing risk factors, such as having diabetes or prediabetes, high blood pressure, high or unhealthy levels of cholesterol, and obesity.

During American Heart Month, everyone is encouraged to understand the importance of heart health and adopt healthier behaviors that can decrease the risk of serious health outcomes.

Here are five lifestyle habits to help improve heart health year-round:

Choose healthy foods and drinks: Consider eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. Eating foods high in fiber and low in saturated and trans fats can help prevent high cholesterol. Recent research concludes that avoiding alcohol entirely is the optimal option to improve or maintain your health. If you choose to drink, limit the amount of alcohol to one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men.

Keep a healthy weight: People who are overweight or are currently obese have a higher risk for heart disease. Extra weight can put extra stress on the blood vessels and the heart.

Get regular physical activity: Any physical activity is better than none. For adults, the Surgeon General recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intense activity every week for heart health. For adolescents and children, it is recommended they get 1 hour of physical activity daily. Talk with your doctor before significantly increasing your activity level.

Quit smoking: Cigarette smoking and tobacco use can increase your risk of heart disease. If you do smoke, quitting will help lower your risk for heart disease. Talk to your doctor to learn about ways to help you quit, and check with your health plan or employer to determine what smoking cessation resources may be available.

Get good sleep: The recommended amount of sleep for most healthy adults is at least 7 hours each night. Lack of sleep is associated with health problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, all of which can raise your risk of heart disease.