February is Heart Month

February is Heart Month so it is only appropriate that I write about Heart Disease in
February. Aside from being a nurse for over thirty-five years I myself have been a Woman with Heart Disease for the past five years. So professionally as well as personally I am qualified to write about heart issues.

I will be focusing on the most important things you can do to protect your heart over the
next several blogs. A quick preview is:

~ Have an annual physical with your regular physician and follow through on their advice.

~Follow a Heart Healthy Diet - for more information seethe American Heart Association website at http://www.heart.org/ and see the section getting healthy. I will discuss some heart health eating basics in some future bogs.

~ Exercise Regularly - The American Heart Association recommends for heart health exercise, “at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). 30 minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember, however you will also experience benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 -15 minutes per day.”

~ Quit Smoking - We all know this is a huge benefit to health. I am living proof it can be
done. I was a very heavy (2-3 packs per day) smoker when I quit. I would not go
to non-smoking restaurants as I was a very committed (addicted) smoker. I will be sharing more insight on this topic in a few days.

~ Maintain a Healthy Weight - This is something you and your doctor need to determine what your number is. I have had weight problems most of my life and I am still a work in progress in this area to achieve my best health level. However, I am still a work in progress.

~ Manage Stress - There are sources for stress in our everyday lives. I have experience with stress and stress reduction that I will share with you.