Hi there, Nurse Lauren here with your Wellness Wednesday tip! It’s the last Wednesday in February, so let’s recap all we have learned this month on how to keep our hearts healthy and beating strong! Following these three tips will help you prevent heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. 80% of deaths from coronary artery disease are attributed to preventable factors. Preventable! Making good choices today about what you eat and how often you exercise can keep your heart healthy for years to come. Keep in mind that family history can also be a factor but the tips above are risks that you can control.
Tip #1: Nutrition is key! Eat a healthy diet that includes less processed foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Tip #2: Get off the couch and get moving! Exercise lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Tip #3: Do not smoke! Quit or don’t start. This habit is the leading cause of preventable deaths.
By keeping healthy you are taking part in the Million Hearts® initiative to prevent one million hearts attacks and strokes by the year 2022. Are you a clinical practice or a health system that has exceptional rates of hypertension control? If you do, you can enter the 2018 Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Challenge (For eligibility, you must have achieved hypertension control rates of at least 80%.) If your practice is successful at helping control your patients high blood pressure then enter by April 6, 2018.
To learn more about heart disease, its risk factors and how to prevent it, you can refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For a recap of all we have learned this month, check out my Healthy Hearts infographic below for all the information you need.
This is Nurse Lauren, contributor of NursesNOW, signing off with your Wellness Wednesday tips. Remember to follow all of these strategies (healthy foods, be active, stop smoking) to keep your heart healthy for years to come!
