Promoting Healthy Hearts

 

As we celebrate Heart Month, we want to share how the American Heart Association recommends staying on-beat by encouraging a heart-healthy lifestyle!

Let’s discuss a little bit of History around American Heart month and why we wear red. According to the American Heart Association, the first Friday in February is National Wear red day, an annual campaign to raise awareness about heart disease in women. This campaign urges women to learn the risk of heart disease and take steps to lower their risk. While there are some genetic hang ups (meaning that you cannot control who your parents are and what traits you inherit); there are a variety of steps that you can take to ensure your heart’s health.

1. The first way to take care of your heart is to take steps to quit if you’re smoking or vaping. Smoking can lead to many diseases, including asthma, second-hand smoke, heart disease, and strokes. The less oxygen you are getting through your bloodstream from your lungs plus oxygen, your heart has to work with and is immediately working at a disadvantage. Quitting is a difficult task for some people, consult with your physician and see what tools and options are available for you.

2. Another seemingly obvious rule of thumb is to get active. The more you exercise and stay active, the more you encourage your heart’s strength!

3. A third great way to get your heart what it needs is to consume better foods. Better nutrition in your body will equal better and stronger muscles, and your heart is a vital muscle. Examples of healthy-heart-foods are leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach, whole wheat, brown rice and oats and berries, and fish. These non-processed foods allow you to get the most nutrition from what you put in your body, making you feel less tired at the end of the day and well-rested in the morning. Also, taking multivitamins is a great idea!

4. It’s important to understand what types of health concerns run in your family. Health risk tends to be something that workers in different generations of families so be sure to ask your parents and your family about what types of health risks they have experienced concerning their heart. There may be something that you need to be conscious about.

5. Drink water! You must drink water every day. After all, fewer unnecessary sugars are always good for your body. It’s one of the more cliche things our old gym teachers used to tell us, but it’s true, drink water!

At Master Medical Equipment, we are thankful to put life-saving equipment into the hands of those who need them. However, we would love to see the number of hospital patients for heart disease and other diseases dwindle. While there are some things that we cannot control, we can recognize that taking preventative action is a fantastic way to keep yourself and others safe.

Happy Heart Month!

Jake Beals, 
Writer
Master Medical Equipment