February is Heart Health month and the American Heart Associations’s “Go Red for Women” campaign.
*no part of this post was sponsored.
My family means the most to me. I still remember sitting in US Government my senior year and finding out my grandfather had to have open heart surgery. It was like ice ran all down my body. Thank God (literally) he lived. He watched me graduate high school a few months after his open heart surgery and then again from college in 2010.
Because of heart health awareness and support the American Heart Association, my grandfather received the treatment he needed.
You can prevent heart disease though.
Please do not think anyone is “not a target” either. While I am a super target for the disease due to my family history on both sides, heart disease is also the #1 killer in America.
Wonder what your risk is? Dr. Oz has a Heart Health Quiz you can take or keep reading and see how many tips you already do most days.
8 Tips to Improving Your Heart Health
- Move – Adults need to be working out at a moderate level 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Children need 60 minutes! Find a workout you love and a buddy, and it won’t be such a chore. Start small and work up to the goal of 30 minutes a day. (source)
- Eat Clean – My rule to the eating clean is 90% of the time “If it has a mother or it comes from the ground, you can eat it.” ( View my Meal Plans)
- Maintain a Healthy Weight – Studies have shown that people with a high BMI (even if they are considered healthy everywhere else) have a 26% greater risk of heart disease. (source) This makes sense because the larger your body is, the more work your heart has to do to pump blood throughout the body.
- Keep your blood pressure in the normal range - High blood pressure also causes unnecessary strain on the heart as well. Think about when you suck water through a straw. It flows easily. Now think if you constantly squeezed the straw and tried to suck water through it. The same applies to your heart.
- Monitor your cholesterol - Cholesterol is the gunk that builds up in your blood vessels. I always think about how my teeth feel if I don’t brush them first thing in the morning. Maybe I’m a weirdo, but if I don’t want my teeth feeling like that, I don’t want any part feeling that way either.
- Watch your sugar levels - Sugar raises inflammation throughout the body. Once the sugar affects your other organs, it continues to put strain on your heart. (Shakeology has helped my mom’s blood work for cholesterol and sugar improve)
- Stop smoking - The list of blunders the habit causes never seems to end. It affects your whole circulatory system, hardens your arteries, weakens your blood vessels, and damages organs. (source)
- Breathe - Constant stress increases adrenaline, cortisol, and inflammation throughout the body. No matter your faith, human beings were not created to be at a constant state of panic. It’s time to set your “me-time” and relax. It’s for your heart after all.
I’m very thankful for the preventive education we have now, and I pray that medicine will continue to improve to save even more lives.
Shakeology has helped my mom’s and my blood work improve in both cholesterol and blood sugar; therefore, we will donate for every new order of Shakeology made in February.
Our goal is to reach $1,000 and raise awareness about heart health.
Click here to order Shakeology (View my review here)
Or if you would rather make a donation to the American Heart Association directly you can as well. Please email me letting me know your donation though so I can add it to our tally towards the goal.
I will be including the running total on every post in February as well.
Did you know the heart disease was the #1 killer?
I'm Kalee. I blog about my life with a focus on my workouts, diet, & family. If you have questions please don't hesitate to 
