When you think of February, you may think of the season of love, but what you might not know is that February also signals the start of American Heart Month. Your heart is the most important organ in your body. It works tirelessly around the clock pumping blood and oxygen throughout your body. Below are some actions from WebMD that you can take to help you keep your heart in the best shape as possible.
Lowering Your Cholesterol
You may have heard of cholesterol, but what really is it? Cholesterol is a waxy substance in your body that allows your body to make vitamin D, certain hormones and estrogen in women or testosterone in men. Bad cholesterol can create plaque that can clog your arteries. By eating healthy, doing cardio or quitting smoking, you can lower your cholesterol and therefore lower your risk of heart disease.
Lowering Your Blood Pressure
Having high blood pressure, or hypertension, is when the force of the blood against the walls of your arteries are high. High blood pressure can damage your arteries and eventually lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. Since there are often no symptoms for high blood pressure, it is very important to get checked at home with a store-bought monitor or by a physician. Eating healthy, getting active and managing stress levels are all ways to keep your blood pressure low and reduce the strain on your heart.
Using an Activity Tracker
There are plenty of ways to track your activity levels, from an app or pedometer, to a wristband tracker. All of these options are good ways to make sure you are getting the right amount of exercise and holding yourself accountable. Each option can monitor your heart to help prevent heart disease and make sure your heart is functioning at an optimal performance.
The heart is the most valuable organ in your body, so why not take advantage of American Heart Month and work on taking care of it?
