FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 7, 2019 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 33
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3 ways to make your heart healthier
Did you know that heart disease is
the leading cause of death in the United
States? One in four people die from it
each year, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and millions
more have it or are at risk of developing
the disease. Smoking, being overweight
or having diabetes, high cholesterol
levels, high blood pressure or a family
history of heart disease all increase your
chances of getting the disease.
Th e good news is that you can do something
about it.
“It’s never too late - or too early -
to lower your risk for heart disease,”
said Josephine Boyington, Ph.D., a nurse,
licensed nutritionist and program director
in the Division of Cardiovascular
Health at the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the
National Institutes of Health.
“Heart disease is a general term for a
variety of conditions, such as clogged
arteries, that make it diffi cult for your
heart to pump blood properly,” she said.
“Adopting small changes, like moving
more and following a heart-healthy
eating plan, can make a big diff erence.
Research has shown that making healthy
lifestyle changes that last can be a lot easier
when you have friends or family doing
it with you.”
To mark American Heart Month, the
NHLBI - the nation’s leader in research
on the prevention and treatment of
heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders - is
encouraging that kind of group support.
It is celebrating “Our Hearts,” a national
eff ort to motivate Americans to join each
other in adopting heart-healthy behaviors
throughout the year and beyond.
Ready to start? Here are three triedand
true ways you and your friends and
family can help each other give your
hearts a boost.
1. Adopt a healthy eating plan. Try
NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. It’s
free and, when compared to a typical
American diet, has been scientifi cally
proven to lower blood pressure and
improve blood cholesterol levels. Th e
DASH eating plan features fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, fi sh, beans, nuts and
lean meats, and it limits foods that are
high in saturated fats, sugars and sodium.
Have fun with menus by inviting
friends to join you for a heart-healthy
dinner party or start a lunch club at work
and trade creative recipe ideas with your
colleagues.
2. Move more and #MoveWithHeart.
One of the major risk factors for heart
disease is inactivity. Getting up and moving
helps lower that risk - and you don’t
need to put in hours at a time to see
results. Breaking up your daily activity
into small chunks, such as 10-minute
increments three times a day for fi ve days
a week, can begin to make a diff erence.
To stay motivated, fi nd a walking buddy
or make a standing date to walk with a
friend or neighbor, dance at home with
your kids or play a pickup soccer or basketball
game with colleagues. Th e bottom
line: just move.
3. Quit smoking. It can be hard to
stop, but the benefi ts to your lungs and
heart are huge. For inspiration and to
keep you motivated, consider a support
group. You can fi nd resources and connect
with a trained counselor by calling
1-800-QUIT-NOW or visiting smokefree.
gov.
For more information about heart
health, and to discover what activities
are going on in your community, visit
nhlbi.nih.gov/ourhearts. Use #OurHearts
on social media to share how you and
your friends and family are keeping your
hearts healthy.
Courtesy Family Features
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