With 1 in 3 deaths in America being heart related, it’s a great time to make sure you and your families are living a lifestyle that promotes heart health. The obesity epidemic still on the rise and so is the rise of the risk for heart disease. Your risk increases 20% when becoming overweight and increases by 64% when becoming obese. Here are some quick tips to help you stay on top of your health this month.

1. 150 minutes of activity: It’s recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine that we get 150 minutes of moderate activity during each week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. Note that any increase in activity level will make a difference so make small changes if these values seem unrealistic right now.
2. Reduce sodium intake: According to the Center for Disease Control 90% of Americans consume too much salt. A high salt intake can contribute too high blood pressure which will exacerbate other heart health risks. The average American diet should strive for 2,000 mg of sodium each day or less. Those with an already higher risk should consume 1,500 mg or less each day.
3. Eat more vegetables: When it comes to eating healthy a good rule of thumb is to always make sure half of your plate is vegetables. Be sure that the fats in our diet are mostly plant sources versus animal sources. These forms of good cholesterol will help buffer the bad cholesterol that leads to heart disease.
4. Consider supplements: Talk to your doctor about your fish oil supplement to see if a supplement is right for you. These capsules are packed full of healthy omegas that fight heart disease. Not all supplements are created equally so be sure your fish oil has a combination of EPA and DHA that add up to 800-1,000mg according to the American Heart Association. Look for a NSF or USP seal on all of your supplements to make sure they are made by quality guidelines.
5. Manage your stress: Last but not least keep your stress in check. Stress leads to high blood pressure, stress eating, tension, a lack of energy, and poor sleep quality. All of these work against your heart health. Stress can be left on in the background of our days and it is harder to turn off stress when it’s left unchecked.

Check out http://go.osu.edu/justbreathe for convenient resources to work on your stress management or consider contacting the Employee Assistance Program to learn about more resources for emotional well-being as a faculty/staff member at OSU.

Join me on February 20th from 12:30pm-1pm for the Group Health Coaching series “Live Smart for a Healthy Heart.”  We will take a more in depth look at some of these tips and more. Click here to sign up today.