February is National Heart Month, So Let's Talk Heart Health!

Here are the major contributions to heart disease:

• Smoking: Increases the plaque in your blood vessels. This makes your heart have to work harder to pump less volume. Chemicals in cigarettes can also thicken blood and result in clots in veins and arteries which can lead to stroke.
• High Blood Pressure: High BP can lead to vision loss, stroke, heart attack or heart failure. Seek out medical guidance for control.
• High Cholesterol: With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. Sometimes, those deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that causes a heart attack or stroke.
• Diabetes: People with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to develop heart disease.
• Obesity: Obesity can elevate blood pressure, change cholesterol levels and lead to diabetes.

We highly recommend consulting with a medical professional to discuss these risk factors. You can also make “heart healthy” decisions. Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet including lots of veggies and limiting sugar. Also, keep moving! Sedentary lifestyles are at a higher risk of heart disease. Try to make a goal of doing some movement activity for 20 min a day for most days of the week.