American Heart Health Month

Stephanie Parente (formerly O'Brien, pictured at right) returns with her latest in a series of articles on healthy lifestyle choices. Stephanie, a 2004 graduate of Watkins Glen High School who recently moved back to the area with her husband, is currently studying to be a personal trainer.

By Stephanie Parente

WATKINS GLEN, Feb. 22 -- February is American Heart Health Month and a great time to celebrate the powerful muscle that keeps us alive! The heart muscle never gets a day off as it pumps 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This month is a great time to reflect on how you take care of your heart. Do you get cardiovascular exercise at least 3 days a week? Do you eat nutritious foods to keep your arteries clean and running properly? If so, you are on the right track to avoiding many diseases and ailments that are associated with poor heart function.

When we neglect our cardiovascular health, we are lining up potential for many heart problems that can emerge fast if we are not paying attention to our bodies. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke are just a few of the scary issues we may encounter. All of these can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle as diet and exercise are often the best prescription. Below are 5 essential tips and tools to help you get your heart healthy!

• Exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week: Don’t have any time? 30 minutes is not much to give to your heart, so take a walk after dinner with your family or walk in place during TV commercials; any movement is better than none!

• Eat antioxidants every day: Antioxidants are essential for keeping our organs clean and prevent oxidative damage to our bodies. Good sources are blueberries, dark chocolate, red wine, and coffee to name a few fun ones, plus most veggies and fruits!

• Limit salt and processed food intake: Salt is hidden everywhere and hard to detect in some foods. Be sure to check food labels and know that the recommended daily intake for sodium is between 1500-2400mg, equaling only 1 teaspoon of table salt!

• Saturated fats should not saturate your food: Saturated fats clog your arteries, raise cholesterol, and can cause stroke and heart attack. Avoid foods high in this toxic fat including full-fat dairy products, high-fat beef, butter, fried foods, and processed snacks, to name a few!

• Don’t forget your Omega-3s: Foods rich in this essential fatty acid have been found to protect against heart disease! Best sources are egg yolk, cold water fish (tuna, salmon), and shellfish (shrimp, crab, oyster); fish oil supplements are also a great option!

Remember, a healthy heart starts with a healthy mind, and simple changes can reverse high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Often times, exercise and nutritious foods are the best medications for our bodies, so before giving up, take the time to make a healthy change. Prevention is a much better option than treatment, and by making healthy lifestyle choices you can protect your body from disease. Our heart is a powerful muscle and without it, we wouldn’t be alive, so treat it well and you will live a fuller life!

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