February is quickly approaching and it’s American Heart Month!
While the month is close to being over, thoughts of forgetting about heart health should be far from your mind. After all, there is a direct link between your heart health and your life insurance coverage.
Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women?
To better underst and the status of your current heart condition, first schedule an appointment with a medical professional. It is always best to know the medical facts first. After your doctor visit, consider making the following changes:
1. Increase or add exercise to your daily routine
2. Cook heart-healthy meals and avoid BAD FOODS
3. Stop smoking
4. Underst and the medication that you take and learn how it affects your heart
5. Avoid high-stress situations
That list can go on and on, but the one item that the majority of the people seem to have questions about concerns a heart-healthy diet.
Take the following advice under consideration:
1. Plan a healthy menu ahead of time and only buy food for those meals
2. Always control portion size. Use smaller sizes of plates and bowls, eat slowly, and never stuff yourself. Eat larger portions of smaller calories/healthy foods and smaller portions of high calorie foods.
3. Limit how much bad fat you consume
4. Load up on vegetables and be careful about eating too much fruit
5. Choose whole grains
6. Add more fiber
7. Eat proteins that are lower in fat
8. Dramatically reduce your sodium intake
9. Be careful about which condiments you use – READ LABLES
10. There is no such thing as a cheat day!
11. Allow yourself to have a treat (not every day), but don’t go overboard
Don’t forget that while February focuses on heart health, there are still eleven other months in the year where you should be treating your heart with as much love as possible. Changes in lifestyle, diet, and exercise can help make your heart the strongest it has ever been. Commit now to a healthy lifestyle that includes preventative measures to keep your heart healthy, your life long, and your premiums low.
