By Michele Tenney
Here’s To Your Health
Michele Tenney
In many stores I’m seeing displays of Valentine’s Day gifts: balloons, stuffed animals and hearts filled with candy. But what about your actual heart? I would say love people 365 days a year and invest in living a healthier life for your heart’s sake.
February is National Heart Health Month. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute as well as the Centers for Disease Control report heart disease as the number one killer of both men and women who live in the US. That makes me very sad, because we can do things to prevent heart disease. I am reminded of the saying that an ounce of prevention is a worth pound of cure. In my industry, I fully believe that.
Knowing your risk factors is incredibly important. Risk factors include high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, having high cholesterol, smoking, poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyle, prediabetes/diabetes, family history, being 45 and older for men and 55 and older for women.
There still is hope. Eating foods high in nutrients rather than empty calories with added sugars and fats is one thing you can do for your heart. Leafy greens like spinach, kale, carrots, cabbage or spring mix are very high in nutrients. It’s helpful to know there is no portion control on veggies, so eat as much as you’d like. You’d be surprised how full you can get when eating them.
Fruits like blueberries, apples, prunes and bananas are also high in nutrients. However, they are also high in sugar, so should be eaten in somewhat limited amounts. Seeds and nuts are a fabulous healthy snack. There is such a thing as healthy fats, and seeds and nuts fall into that category. Your body needs healthy fats to get rid of “bad” fats. They do, however, need to be eaten in moderation – a handful of seeds and nuts verses a bag of seeds and nuts.
I would add avocado to the healthy fat list as well. Fish is excellent for heart health. However, they should be wild caught and not farm raised. You can easily find healthy recipes online or websites like Eating Well or Forks over Knives for more plant-based meals.
Daily activity, especially for those who sit all day, is critical to improving heart health. Two hundred and fifty steps every hour will get you to 10,000 steps at the end of the day. I use a Fitbit to buzz me and remind me to get those steps in every hour. It’s as simple as walking. You don’t have to take kickboxing classes, bootcamps or start running races. You just need to move and move often. Bad weather? Hit the mall. Find a buddy to help hold yourself accountable and have some fun while you’re at it. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and most everyone can do it.
Now let’s talk about stress management and smoking. I was a smoker and understand fully how difficult it is to quit the habit. I changed the way I thought about myself by self-affirmations like “I am a non-smoker,” or “I am stronger than that.” I can also attest to living a highly stressful life. I was a single mother of two boys working hard at being “everything” and not taking care of myself. Guess what I would do when I was stressed? Smoke.
Sometimes it’s only in hindsight when we aren’t stressed anymore that we finally realize how stressed out we really were. I started getting up earlier, grabbing a cup of coffee and writing in my journal about my feelings. You can put a breathing/meditation app on your phone or take a yoga class. I would prioritize these two things above the food and exercise. The other two will follow once you’re feeling better and more accomplished.
Remember, you are a spirit that has a soul that lives in a body and all three of those things need to be healthy for you to be living your best life. By now most New Year’s resolutions have been thrown in the trash, so making a decision daily to live a healthier lifestyle is a choice you can make every day, every hour if need be. Small changes become habits and habits become lifestyles. Just don’t quit. You are worth every bit of effort you put into yourself. You can do this. I believe in you.
Michele Tenney is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist & Wellness Coach. She is a member of the Orange Board of Health. She can be reached at 203-668-2969 or email at Hmgbrd3@gmail.com.