How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

ZANESVILLE, OH – February is National Heart Health Month.

Heart related diseases are the leading cause of death in men and women in the U.S., according to the CDC.

Misty Harmon, an Educator in Family and Consumer Sciences with the Perry County OSU Extension Office, talked about some of the risk factors and what you can do to help prevent heart disease.

She said you can already be predisposed to heart disease due to your family’s medical history and age, but there are other things you can do to make sure you stay healthy.

“Smoking certainly is one of the biggest risk factors that is modifiable,” Harmon said. “So if you smoke, quitting or reducing, with the goal of hopefully quitting, if you don’t smoke certainly don’t start. Being overweight, being inactive really is a big risk factor so just moving more. You don’t have to run a marathon to get heart health benefits.”

She said if you’re thinking about adding a little more movement to your routine, she says doctors recommend getting out and exercising about 3 times a week.

Harmon also recommends taking a look at the foods that you eat to see if there are healthier options.

“We talk about diet and all of that and one of the best things you can do is eat more fruits and vegetables, if you can add one more fruit or one more vegetable to your day you’re going to get those vitamins and nutrients,” Harmon said. “Then watching those saturated and trans fats, so if it’s been processed in any way it likely has some of those trans fats.”

Harmon also recommends taking a “me” day to yourself to help reduce stress levels and keep your heart healthy.

She said it doesn’t have to be a full day of relaxation, it could be a walk outside or reading a book for a few minutes.