About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one. Is it going to be you? I hope not.February is American Heart Month, to raise awareness of heart disease, and to remind us that it’s never too early, or too late to take steps to improve our heart health.
I have a healthy heart now, but my father endured surgeries for an aneurysm, heart bypass, and a valve replacement. These were life saving procedures that extended his life and gave him good quality of life, but there were some really hard times getting through it. None of that was any fun at all.
I would like to do what I can to avoid having heart disease in the future. Being physically active can help lower your risk of heart disease. I try to stay active with my kids, and right now I’m recovering from a back injury I got while sledding. While I recuperate, I look forward to some moderate physical activity in the garden, and getting some real exercise by getting back on the road on my bike.
Exercise reduces some risk factors for heart disease. It can lower fat and cholesterol levels that increase heart disease risk. It also can lower blood pressure and increase production of a cholesterol, called HDL, that protects against heart disease.
So pick an exercise routine that’s right for you, combine it with a heart healthy diet, keep your weight under control and you’ll be doing what you can to prevent heart disease.
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