February is American Heart Month, the perfect time to enhance heart health.
February is American Heart Month. It’s a great time to be proactive and take an active role in your own heart health and that of your loved ones. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in America today. Thankfully, heart disease is controllable and preventable.
The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers some practical tips for leading a healthier lifestyle that will help safeguard your heart. They include –
- Eating a healthy diet. Be sure to eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Fruits and vegetables are a great choice.
- Maintaining a healthy weight. A doctor can measure your body mass index (BMI) to determine if your weight is in the healthy range.
- Exercising regularly. The Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
- Monitoring blood pressure. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so be sure to have it checked on a regular basis.
- Not smoking. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, quit as soon as possible.
- Limiting alcohol use. Men should stick to no more than two drinks per day, and women to no more than one.
- Having your cholesterol checked. Your health care provider should test your cholesterol levels at least once every five years.
Cardiac Rehabilitation at Hurlbut Care Communities
At selected Hurlbut Care Communities, we offer structured programs in cardiac rehabilitation that focus on developing a stronger heart and better health for weakened or damaged hearts. It’s a program with multiple aspects and advantages, all designed to recover, enhance, and extend heart health.
Heart muscles recover and increase in overall strength and endurance through a combination of monitored exercise, lifestyle counseling and educational programming.
- Increased heart strength and endurance
- Decreased lung congestion
- Improved energy levels
- Increased confidence in your physical abilities
We pride ourselves on helping our cardiac rehabilitation patients achieve optimum heart health, and we encourage you to follow the CDC guidelines to help maintain your heart health, too.
If you would like more information on cardiac rehabilitation at Hurlbut Care Communities, please phone 585.222.CARE.
Robert W. Hurlbut President
