3 Simple Steps To Help Improve Your Heart Health

With February just around the corner, we wanted to turn our attention to American Heart Month and the importance of prioritizing heart health. Here at Abraham Family Medicine, our healthcare providers often stress the importance of living a heart-healthy lifestyle from a young age to effectively reduce your risk of heart disease. However, it’s also never too late to get yourself back on the right track. This is why we wanted to provide some simple steps that anyone can take to help improve their heart health.

Step #1: Make Your Diet More Heart-Healthy

It’s easy to say “eat better”, but what exactly does this mean when it comes to heart-health? For starters, we recommend starting your day with a healthy breakfast rich in fresh fruit, whole grains (oatmeal or whole wheat toast). Avoid unhealthy snacks throughout the day like fried, salty chips. At dinner time, prioritize lean proteins (salmon, chicken breast), fresh vegetables, and other healthy ingredients like beans.

Step #2: Find Healthy Stress Management Tools

Feeling stressed from time to time is unavoidable, but how you handle those feelings can make a big difference when it comes to your heart. Poorly managed stress over time can contribute to higher blood pressure and other vital risk factors for heart disease. Instead of dealing with your stress in unhealthy ways like overeating or drinking alcohol, we recommend finding healthier ways to relieve some of this tension. This can include making time for regular physical activity, relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, or activities like yoga or meditation.

Step #3: Make Healthy Sleep a Priority

Making sure to get a good night’s sleep is hugely beneficial to many aspects of a person’s health and wellness, including helping to strengthen the heart. Poor sleep habits can lead to increased stress, high blood pressure, and weight gain, all of which can negatively impact heart health. We recommend doing what you can to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, including keeping your sleeping area cool and turning off lit devices like phones and televisions in the lead-up to your bedtime routine.

Heart health is obviously incredibly important and our expert providers are always here to help our patients put themselves in the best position to achieve positive long-term health and wellness. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Abraham Family Medicine. Our office is located in Snellville, not far from Grayson, Dacula, and Lilburn.