Celebrate American Heart Month:

Join the #OurHearts Movement

Heart disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Most middle-aged and young adults have one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or being a smoker or overweight. Having multiple risk factors increases your risk for heart disease.

Feeling connected with others and having positive, close relationships benefit our overall health, including our blood pressure and weight. Having people in our lives who motivate and care for us helps, as do feelings of closeness and companionship. While social distancing due Covid-19 has limited the types of activities we can safely do with others, choosing to follow a healthy lifestyle will be easier and more successful if you take the challenge with partners, even if it is done through texting, phone calls, social media or virtual sessions.

Follow these heart-healthy lifestyle tips to protect your heart.

• Be more physically active, this Move More fact sheet has ideas to get and keep you moving.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat a nutritious diet. Check out My Plate for information on a heart healthy eating pattern
• Quit smoking. Check out these free resources to help you quit: hhs.gov and Smokefree.gov.
• Reduce stress.
• Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep.
• Track your heart health stats. Check out NHLBI’s Healthy Blood Pressure for Healthy Hearts: Tracking Your Numbers worksheet.

You don’t have to make big changes all at once. Small steps will get you where you want to go.