Heart Health Checklist: Awareness, Prevention & Management
Did you know that February is American Heart Month? Read on to deepen your understanding of heart-related conditions as well as effective management and prevention.
What is American Heart Month?
Celebrated every February, the American Heart Association marks its 60th consecutive year of recognition. This observance originated as a way to acknowledge heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. It has since helped increase awareness, prevention, and management.
Understanding the Basics of Cardiovascular Disease
The cardiovascular system, made up of the heart (“cardio-”) and the blood vessels (“-vascular”), facilitates blood circulation throughout the body. Cardiovascular disease can refer to several conditions, including but not limited to heart disease, heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure, arrhythmia, or heart valve concerns. Each of these can vary in risk factors, onset, signs and symptoms, and management. However, some contributing common factors are notable.
Risk Factors
Smoking
Elevated cholesterol
Inadequate nutrition
Physical inactivity or overexertion
Inadequate sleep
Weight cycling
Elevated blood sugar or diabetes diagnosis
Elevated blood pressure
Alcohol and tobacco use
Elevated stress levels
Family history
Signs and Symptoms
Cardiovascular disease often lacks obvious signs and symptoms until a heart attack or stroke occurs. This is why having regular health assessments, including blood work analysis, is vital for early detection and monitoring. Also, assessing behaviors that could impact one’s health (i.e., smoking, substance use, nutrition, and movement) is important for prevention of disease progression.
Heart attack symptoms can vary based on sex, with common symptoms including pain or discomfort in the center of the chest and/or in the arms, particularly the left shoulder, elbow, jaw, or back. A person may also experience difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, lightheadedness, cold sweating, or paleness of skin. Females are more likely than males to have shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
The most common stroke symptoms are sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg, most likely on one side of the body. Individuals may also experience confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, difficulty seeing or walking, trouble with balance and coordination, severe headache, and/or fainting or unconsciousness.
Prevention and Management
Prevention and management often include normalizing blood chemistry (labwork) and modifying lifestyle factors. This is where nutrition and movement can be quite impactful.
Intuitive Eating and Heart Health
Studies on Intuitive Eating have been shown to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels, reduce stress, lower rates of disordered eating, improve metabolism, reduce rates of weight cycling, and improve the overall relationship with food. All of which can help in the prevention and management of heart health. Let’s review some tips that can be incorporated into daily life to improve your overall wellbeing.
Start small with what you feel you can do - Notice that many of the risk factors for CVD are things we may influence or change our relationship to. Behavior change can be challenging, but if you choose to assess more deeply, consider starting with small, attainable intentions to work towards. Other tips to behavior change: consider your why, root your efforts in care for your wellbeing, and seek support at any level if you desire. You can likely find small yet meaningful ways to change that can have a significant impact on your overall health. This may look like aiming to adjust your sleep routine or focusing on de-stressing activities and resources. Get curious about what behavior you would like to focus on, what is getting in your way, and what it is you need to help you reach your goals and propel you forward. What would feel the easiest to start with?
Aim for more mindfulness - When you aim for more conscious thinking and decision-making with your food, you may find that you are more attuned to your needs. Mindful eating can include listening to your body cues, removing distractions, and even practicing a slower pace of eating. You may find improvement in stress reduction, digestion, and an overall improved relationship with food when you feel more present in the eating experience.
Creating more peacefulness - Reducing stress levels is one of the most important ways to improve your overall health. Create positive coping mechanisms that help relieve the level of stress or anxiety you experience regularly so that you can reduce the negative impact that it may be having on your body. Deep breathing, stress balls/fidget toys, journaling, music, or art may be helpful tools for promoting more peace.
Advocate for your health - You are your best (and sometimes your only) advocate for your health. Aim for regular check-ups and reliable health indicators, such as assessment of blood chemistry, blood pressure, heart rate, imaging/other testing, etc. Get to know your family history, if possible, and what you may be more at risk for. Lastly, you know your own body best, so if you feel like something is wrong, push to get the care that you deserve. If you feel you need help advocating, consider scheduling an appointment with one of our dietitians!
As the leading cause of death, heart disease has likely impacted everyone, whether directly or indirectly. With more knowledge and awareness, we can hopefully reduce its impact on the world and, more directly, on our loved ones. If you are looking for more information on heart health and heart disease, below are links to additional resources.
Additional Resources
American Heart Association: Cardiovascular Disease
World Heart Federation: Cardiovascular Disease
