Show Your Heart Some Love this Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, show some love — to your heart! According to the American Heart Association:

• The heart does more physical work than any other muscle in the body.
• The average heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood per day.
• In a 70-year lifetime, an average human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times.
• The average heart beats 100,000 times a day.

Your heart works hard for you, so naturally, it deserves some love — and not only on Valentine’s Day! Here are a few habits you can incorporate into your daily routine that can help get you on track toward a healthier ticker.

Get Moving

Consider these three types of movement for a complete heart-health routine:

Aerobic exercise: This is the kind of movement that gets your heart pumping. Think brisk walking or running, swimming, playing pickleball or bicycling. Talk to your healthcare provider about what choice might be best for you, how to get started and how many minutes per week is appropriate for your needs. Ultimately, aerobic exercise, combined with other heart-healthy habits, helps to improve your circulation. The payoff is lower blood pressure and a lower heart rate — both a huge bonus for your heart!

Strength training: It doesn’t have to mean working out on weight machines at the gym. A home workout using hand weights or dumbbells, resistance bands or body-resistance exercises such as squats and push-ups can be equally effective in reducing fat and creating leaner muscle mass. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests at least two nonconsecutive days per week of resistance training. Combined with aerobic exercise, it may help raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Your heart will thank you!

Stretching, flexibility and balance exercises: These moves play a supporting role in your heart health. If you’re able to stay flexible and free from joint issues, you’ll be more inclined to continue a regular aerobic and strength training routine. These moves can be done every day, especially before and after exercise. Your healthcare provider will be able to recommend some basic stretches and balance exercises that you can do at home. Ask your provider about joining a Yoga or Tai Chi class, too!

Bonus tip: George Rizk, M.D., co-director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and director of Cardiopulmonary/Cardiac Imaging at Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center, suggests finding small opportunities throughout your day to sneak some additional movement into your routine. “It can be as simple as parking in the farthest parking space when running errands and walking to your destination,” he said. “Or, you can take the stairs instead of the elevator.”

Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet

Eating more fruits and vegetables can cut cravings for higher-fat foods, such as meats, cheeses and snack foods. In addition, fruits and veggies contain substances that may help prevent heart disease. Darker fruits, such as blueberries, apples and grapes, are high in antioxidants, which are especially good for the heart.

Nuts, whole grains, skinless white meat poultry, and seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids (think salmon) are high-protein, heart-healthy diet choices. Stay away from empty calories, such as processed foods, desserts and snack foods made from white flour. In addition, avoid high-sugar soft drinks, as well as trans fats, saturated fats, and too much salt and sodium.

Ask your healthcare provider about the Mediterranean diet, DASH Diet, and other popular heart-healthy plans. You’ll find a wealth of information about them online as well.

Monitor Your Alcohol Consumption

You may have seen recent headlines that the U.S. Surgeon General has issued a health advisory regarding alcoholic beverages. While the warning specifically links alcohol consumption to an increased risk for cancer, it’s important to remember that excessive alcohol use can also interfere with a healthy heart, leading to obesity, high blood pressure, heart failure or stroke.

“The bottom line is, if you don’t drink, don’t start. If you do, stick to moderate levels,” said Dr. Rizk. “That translates to an average of one drink several times a week for women and one or two for men,” he said. “But it’s important to remember that a drink might be less than you think. The rule of thumb is 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits.”

Your healthcare provider can help you weigh the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation.

Eliminate Tobacco Use

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that “smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is responsible for one in every four deaths from CVD. Quitting smoking can protect people from cardiovascular disease and death.”

However, experts agree that any kind of tobacco use is bad for your health. Using smokeless tobacco can also increase your risk for death from heart disease and stroke.

If you’re ready to show your heart some love by quitting tobacco, a great first step is to check out the Arizona Department of Health Services Ash Line at www.azdhs.gov/ashline. They even offer ‘Quit Coaching’ with a trained, experienced coach.

The staff at Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center reminds you to stay active, eat well, and be healthy this Valentine’s Day and always. For more information about heart services at YRMC, visit DignityHealth.org/YRMC. QCBN

By Joanne Mack Robertson

For more information about Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center and the many services it offers, including Nutrition Counseling and Diabetes Education, visit yrmc.org.