Active You: Be heart healthy

February is American Heart Month!

Show yourself a little love and be heart healthy. It’s important to know what can cause Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), which can lead to an event like a heart attack.

Here are some traditional risk factors of CAD:

• high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• family history
• diabetes
• smoking
• obesity
• menopause
• age

The good news is that this common heart disease is preventable! Living a healthy lifestyle — getting good nutrition, managing your weight, and staying active — can play a big role in that prevention.

Not sure where to start? Try these simple tips:

• Add fruits and veggies (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried) to your snacks and meals for an easy first step.
• Understand how much and you eat. Use a food diary or tracking app to understand what, how much, and when you’re eating. Being mindful of your eating habits can help you reach your health goals.
• Retrain your inner couch potato. Try walking, jogging in place, weightlifting, yoga, or even watching TV while hitting the treadmill at the gym.

Newsflash: Having a heart-healthy lifestyle is good for you — and your family too!

Here are few easy ways you can work heart-healthy habits into your family’s life and daily schedule:

• Make time to get the whole family moving! Identify appropriate times for physical activities during the week. Join the kids for a bike ride, discover a new park, or be a part of play time.
• Plan a weekly menu, go shopping, and prep your meals. Try to find a few blocks of time where you can do a little planning, and it’ll be easy to eat healthier.
• Simply your family’s schedule. See what you can do without, so you’ll have more time for the things that really matter.
• Take baby steps, not giant leaps. Getting hearth-healthy is a journey; you don’t have to do everything all at once.

Last, let’s take a look at the three c’s of cholesterol.

Unhealthy cholesterol levels are one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. When it comes to cholesterol, remember the three c’s:

• Check your cholesterol levels. Knowing your numbers is key!
• Change your diet and lifestyle to help improve your levels.
• Control your cholesterol, with help from your doctor if needed.

This information is provided by ActiveHealth Management. ActiveHealth’s programs care team, and care managers do not diagnose or treat members. ActiveHealth Management will assist you in getting the care you need, but this program is not a substitute for the medical treatment and/or instructions provided by your healthcare provider.