Preventing Heart Disease
Here’s some heartening news - a healthy future is just a few changes away.
Think you might be at risk for heart problems? St. Luke's has good news! It's never too early to start thinking about heart health and it's never too late to start making healthy choices. Simple changes can make a big difference. The following suggestions can help you brighten your heart's future:
- Sign up for St. Luke's Heart Check. Five easy tests can provide you answers to all of your heart health.
- A Heart Scan identifies calcified plaque in your coronary arteries and assesses your heart’s health. There are no injections, treadmills or pre-test fasting.
- Face up to heart-damaging habits - stop smoking and reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke.
- Do something nice for your heart - just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise four to five days a week, such as walking, biking or swimming, will keep your heart happy.
- Choose heart-healthy foods and beverages - avoid foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, make smart choices about sugar, caffeine and carbohydrates, and limit your alcohol intake. Your heart will thank you.
- Know your numbers - your weight and blood pressure are important indicators of health. Try to keep both in a healthy range. Also, keep close tabs on your blood fats (LDL and triglycerides) and sugars. Both can be detected with simple blood tests.
- Stay cool - relax! Stress is hard on your heart, so take a deep breath and avoid stressors when possible.
St. Luke's urges others to stay heart healthy with Go Red for Women
St. Luke's is a proud sponsor of this annual American Heart Association event. Here's a fun video we put together for the event to encourage women to take care of their heart health!
