The month of February is American Heart Month. No, this is not a reference to chocolates and valentines. It is a plea to remember that there is nothing more important than your own good health. The bad news is that this reminder is necessary because heart disease is a leading cause of death in this country. The good news is that there is a lot that you can do to combat it. Many people just don’t take the problem as seriously as they should.
Maybe it’s time that you did. Especially if you are one of the many whose optimistic New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside. The number one resolution usually being to lose weight. It’s never easy to change the patterns that we fall into or the feeling that there is no time in the day to add one more thing to your busy schedule. It’s just a matter of waking up and deciding to do it, day after day.
The heart is a muscle. It is important to exercise it as you would any other muscle. This doesn’t have to be a big ordeal, especially at first. Just incorporate more movement into your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go out for an after dinner walk. Get the blood pumping.
Eventually, you will want to make more of an effort to get your heart rate up, whether that is jogging, riding a stationary bike, or anything else. But the important thing is to start right away, however you have to. There’s no better time than American Heart Month to begin being kind to yours, making your health the priority that it should be.
Photo Credit: Mykl Roventine
