My family, like so many others, has a history of heart trouble, including heart attacks and high blood pressure. It’s all part of the genetic pot we have no control over. There’s not much you can do about your DNA, but luckily, many risk factors for heart disease are affected by lifestyle. Here are some of my approaches to (hopefully) hit the centenarian mark.
I avoid elevators whenever humanly possible. Unless my leg is broken, I’m in the final stages of labor or am lugging some insanely large and compromising thing behind me, stairs are king (even in heels, although that might cause other health problems down the road). Six days per week, I exercise for one hour. It could be running, spinning or weights, but consistency is key. Most mornings, I’m dragging myself out of bed to do it, but five minutes into the workout, I’m glad I’m there. My trick is to get up as soon as the alarm goes off to make the bed right away. I’m too lazy to make it twice.
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| Eat lots of fruits and veggies to increase your fibre intake. |
I eat a lot of fish, egg whites and broccoli. My office mates hate my stinky lunches and mock me often. Luckily, I’m a horrible cook so these foods give me an excuse to eat smelly, boring food throughout the week (all for the benefit of my heart, of course). Writing this, I realize that my annual physical is overdue (my bad). Nobody is perfect, but it’s important to be conscious of the things you do. So far, high blood pressure hasn’t been an issue but I’m getting older so that’s no excuse for not getting it checked out. I also need to curb my salt intake. Going back to my boring food choices, canned veggies and microwavable turkey bacon (although low in fat), can tip the sodium scale. We all have things to improve on so those are two examples of many for me this year.
My video features a registered dietitian in Sunnybrook’s heart program. She has some amazing and easy tips that everyone can benefit from. Hope the video helps you love your heart this Valentine’s Day!
