Healthy mom, healthy heart
February is National Heart Health month and we hope that you are celebrating by keeping your heart healthy. We all know that life gets hectic and crazy and of course, busy. This can increase stress, impair our eating habits and give us less time to exercise. You only get one heart, what are you doing for yours?
According to the American Heart Association, “heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. That’s approximately one woman every minute!” The things we do each day have an effect on our health, especially our heart.
Ask most moms, life is hectic when you work full time, take the kids to practice, keep the home organized and still try to make time for yourself. The latter is one of the most important when it comes to your heart. Reducing stress and the way you react to stress can play a significant part on your heart. Yes, as women, we tend to be perfectionists and need to have control over every detail. Maybe the hubby helping fold clothes (even if it’s not the way you do it) can help when it comes to a busy evening. Maybe the kids washing the dishes and cleaning the table (again, even if it’s not the way you do it) would free up some time for you to take a moment and sit quietly by yourself. Deep breathing is a simple and quick technique that can lower your heart rate, decrease anxiety and stress and lower blood pressure in just a couple minutes.
Most families always have something going on and somewhere to be, thus our family dinner time has become a backseat drive thru that doesn’t always provide us with the most nutritious meal. Take time this weekend to plan a family cooking show where everyone plays a part in preparing a healthy, home cooked meal. Make it an event – get out the nice china, add some flowers for ambiance and make it healthy. Just by decreasing the amount of red meat you and your family eat per week can help decrease your risk for heart disease. Opt for healthy plant based proteins like beans, lentils and quinoa.
An excuse parents say a lot is “I don’t have time to exercise.” Take a moment and change one word in that phrase, change have to make. If our health and our heart are important to us, we will make time. The Center for Disease Control recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, that is only 30 minutes five days a week. While your kids are at soccer practice, encourage the other moms to walk around the field with you. Start a new family tradition in which you play a game of tag, go for a bike ride or jog to the park after dinner a few days a week. This will not only improve your heart health, but it could greatly improve your relationships as well.
So be sure to remind yourself that your heart matters as much as you do. Take time to smell the roses, breathe deeply and smile. It’s good for your heart!
Jen Woltman is a Wellness Coach at Yuma Regional Medical Center and she can be reached at yrmcwellness@ yumaregional.org.