Tips for Keeping Your Heart Healthy

​Barry ZeVan (aka "The Weatherman") shared some very helpful tips for how to keep your heart in good health:

The old adage stating, “One's good health is the most important thing one has,” is certainly true. Although not heart-related, I've been blessed to "cheat death" at least three times throughout my life. I was told, during two of those life-threatening times, I was blessed with a strong heart and it made all the difference regarding survival. As we’re annually aware, February is annually American Heart Month.

As American Heart Month continues, the AMA encourages all Americans to take control of their heart health by monitoring their blood pressure levels and making healthy lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce the risk of serious health consequences associated with high blood pressure. According to the AMA, an overwhelming number of Americans are living with uncontrolled high blood pressure — putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. By empowering more people to monitor and control their blood pressure, there will be a continuum to not only help improve health outcomes for everyone, but also reduce health care costs.”
The AMA’s six tips for improving heart health to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, include the following:

1. Know your blood pressure numbers — Visit LowerYourHBP.org to find resources on understanding your numbers and take necessary steps to get your high blood pressure — or hypertension — under control. There are often no symptoms or signs of high blood pressure, often referred to as the “silent killer,” but if left untreated the condition damages the blood vessels and increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, and other serious conditions.
2. Commit to a treatment plan to manage high blood pressure — Work with your doctor to create an individualized treatment plan that focuses on healthy lifestyle changes that you can realistically stick to long-term to help you maintain a lower blood pressure and lower your risk for negative health consequences.
3. Be more physically active — Regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure. It is recommended that healthy adults 18 to 65 years of age should get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity five days per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity three days a week.
4. Eat a healthy diet — Making simple dietary changes can help you manage or prevent high blood pressure, including eating less sodium, reducing the amount of packaged, processed foods you consume, and eating foods that are rich in potassium.
5. Maintain or achieve a healthy weight — Take steps to lose weight, if overweight as being 20 pounds or more overweight could put you at increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
6. Drink alcohol in moderation — If you consume alcohol, do so in moderation as defined by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans — up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, and only by adults of legal drinking age.​
   

As a partner with Fairview Health Services, we provide many services to help our residents maintain and improve their health. We offer nutritious meals for our residents, aquatic therapy, and Adult Day Programs that provide exercise activities, special outings, and more. 

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Martin Luther Campus is part of the Ebenezer family of Lutheran Senior Care Communities. We provide transitional care and assisted living apartments for seniors in Bloomington. We also have adult day clubs and memory care programs for seniors living at home. We’re located at 1401 East 100th St. Bloomington, MN. Are you interested in transitioning to assisted living or do you have a loved one that needs assisted living? Call Amy at 952.948.5167