American Heart Month

February 13, 2019 | Abby Caviness

Every year when February rolls around, heart health advocates use the month to raise awareness of the dangers of heart disease and provide resources to learn more about how to avoid it. At USHEALTH Group®, we are all about helping you maintain your health, and we are jumping on the bandwagon to give you a few tips and tidbits about your heart to celebrate American Heart Month!

Get To Know Your Heart

According to Healthline², your heart health affects every part of your body, which makes your heart the most important organ. So, you need to protect and in order to protect it, you must know what it’s up to.

Doing a quick deep-dive search on your heart reveals some interesting facts²:

• Your heart is controlled by an electrical system in your body
• Most heart attacks happen on a Monday
• Your heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood each day
• Your blood vessel system would extend more than 60,000 miles if stretched out
• Laughing is a good way to reduce stress on your heart and boost your immune system

Aside from these fun facts, start educating yourself to know when your heart is not working optimally. For instance, a normal resting heart rate for average adults is 60 to 100 bpm.³ So, if you know how your heart should be function,

Start Focusing on Your Heart Health

Since your heart is the most hardworking organ in your body, the key for keeping your heart healthy is to work for it so it can work for you. Try adopting a few new habits to get your heart health on the right track and reduce your risk of heart disease.

In 2011, the American Heart Association (AHA)⁴
created a set of goals for U.S. heart health called Life’s
Simple 7®⁵—seven areas in your life to improve, which
positively affect your heart health. These include:

• Managing your blood pressure
• Controlling your cholesterol
• Reducing your blood sugar
• Getting active
• Eating better
• Losing weight
• Quitting smoking

Taking care of your heart requires you to intentionally change your life, being more mindful of your intake, your activities and monitoring your Life’s Simple 7 factors. When you take the time to go the extra mile for your heart, your heart will go the extra mile for you.

Research Tips for Heart Health

The AHA also links a higher risk of heart disease with neglecting to take care of other aspects of your health, which include:

• Getting enough sleep
• Practicing mindfulness
• Managing stress
• Keeping mind and body fit
• Connecting socially

In addition to healthy eating and having an active lifestyle, these are just a few equally important factors in taking care of your body. When it comes to heart health, keeping your body healthy keeps your heart happy, so all these aspects should be addressed when you decide to take better care of your heart.

Your heart is affected by a variety of factors, not just the typical ones you might immediately think of. Any improvement you make on your overall health will also improve the quality of your heart health. So, even if you pick just one aspect to work on, your heart will thank you.

Takeaway

Your heart, though it’s only the size of your fist², is a big deal. Taking the time to improve its function is worth it, and any effort you put in is better than no effort at all.

*This material is provided by USHEALTH Group® for informational/educational purposes only and should not replace medical/clinical advice or direction from your health care provider.

1. “American Heart Month,” HealthFinder.gov, Accessed February 5, 2019, https://healthfinder.gov/NHO/FebruaryToolkit.aspx.
2. Wells, Diana, “Fun Facts About the Heart You Didn’t Know,” Healthline.com, Written July 6, 2017, https://www.healthline.com/health/fun-facts-about-the-heart#1
3. Laskowski, Edward R., Mayo Clinic, MayoClinic.org, Last modified August 29, 2018, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979
4. American Heart Association, Heart.org, Accessed February 5, 2019. https://www.heart.org/en
5. “My Life Check – Life’s Simple 7,” Heart.org, Accessed February 5, 2019, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/my-life-check–lifes-simple-7
6. Brown, Jennifer J., “The Heart Attack and Depression Link,” EverydayHealth.com, Last modified February 11, 2019, https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/health-answers/heart-attack-depression-link/
7. Asp, Karen. “9 Amazing Facts About Your Heart,” EverydayHealth.com, Last modified May 13, 2015, https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/9-amazing-facts-about-your-heart/.