Achieve a Healthy Lifestyle: How to Be Heart Healthy

Each February, we celebrate American Heart Month by motivating our family and friends to adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent heart disease. Taking care of your heart is vitally important, especially when considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

There are many lifestyle habits you can embrace to manage your blood pressure and decrease your risk of heart attack, stroke and other heart diseases. Read more to learn some of the best tips we at Monroe Village have found to support your heart health.

5 Top Tips to a Healthy Heart

1. Get Active – Incorporating exercise into your routine at least three or four times a week offers numerous health benefits, including lowered blood pressure and a stronger heart. Aerobic activities engage your heart for long periods of time, proving to be among the most effective exercises for heart health. These activities include walking, light jogging and swimming.
2. Watch What You Eat – Watching what you eat and ensuring you’re receiving the proper nutrients your body needs will greatly benefit your wellness. Although there’s no need to go on any fad diets, one eating guideline specifically designed to help lower blood pressure is Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH. This plan, promoted by The American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic, emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains and lean proteins, and helps promote a healthy heart.
3. Aim for a Full Night’s Sleep – Sleep is important to the overall function of your body. It is recommended to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night to maintain proper wellness, including heart health. Studies even show that short and fragmented sleep is linked to hardened arteries.
4. Minimize Stress – Stress is inevitable and can have many harmful effects on your body. Cleveland Clinic finds that stress affects factors that increase risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, irregular heart rhythms and damage to your arteries. However, learning to respond to stress in a healthy way will minimize these effects. Some ways to manage stress include practicing meditation and learning relaxation exercises.
5. Visit Your Doctor – Be sure to schedule annual trips to your doctor to check blood pressure and cholesterol. Discuss healthy lifestyle habits that can help you maintain heart health and seek resources and guidance if you find your stress is overwhelming.

Achieve a Heart Healthy Lifestyle at Monroe Village

We at Monroe Village help you achieve a healthy lifestyle through LivWell, our award-winning, holistic wellness program. This program touches on all seven dimensions of wellness, including physical and emotional wellness. Here are a few ways you’re able to work on your heart health right in our community:

• Get your exercise through one of our many classes available at our fitness center, like chair yoga or tai chi. Or, take a dip in our indoor heated pool for a low-impact cardio workout.
• Visit our bistro or dining area for healthy, delicious meals. Our chefs create delicious, nutritious meals featuring seasonal ingredients and culturally diverse menus, keeping you and your health in mind. We ensure quality in every meal we prepare.
• Relax – with our maintenance-free lifestyle, there’s no need to worry about home repairs or lawn care. You have time to yourself to enjoy activities you like the most, whether it be showcasing your artistic side in our creative workshop or connecting with nature on a walk throughout our beautiful grounds.

Contact us today to learn more about the heart healthy activities and amenities at Monroe Village.