Congrats to Kathy. She’s a 53 year old woman, who after 3 heart attacks has realized she needs to be proactive in her health.
As we enter this holiday season, enjoy and celebrate reasonably and prepare for a fresh start in 2012. Simple daily choices can have a profound affect on your health.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s survey of more than 2,000 adults found that even though Canadians know how to protect their heart health, the majority can’t or won’t commit the time to do so.
“Eight out of 10 people know that heart disease and stroke can be prevented, postponed or treated by making healthy lifestyle choices but they are focusing on the barriers rather than the opportunities,’’ said David Sculthorpe, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
The key is to make healthier choices a part of every-day living. Take the stairs instead of an elevator, for instance, or walking rather than hopping in the car to drive a very short distance.
Other recommendations include:
The foundation offers the following steps to improve heart health:
- Getting 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity per week reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes by 30 percent. Break it down into bouts of exercise, 10 minutes or more in length.
- Eating five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by about 20 percent. Low vegetable and fruit consumption can shave 1.3 years off a person’s expected lifespan.
- Controlling high blood pressure can cut the risk of stroke by 40 percent and of heart attack by up to 25 percent. High blood pressure can shave two and a half years off a person’s expected lifespan. A recent study showed that Chiropractic adjustments can help keep blood pressure low. So be sure to get adjusted.
