February is celebrated as Heart Health Month and you have the power to take action to protect yourself against heart disease. Small heart-healthy actions like adding more movement to our day or choosing healthy foods, can have a big impact.
When it comes to heart health, prevention is key! Below are a few easy ideas you can start today.
Eat Well
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. In fact, up to 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through your life choices and habits, such as eating a healthy diet.
A healthy diet can help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke by:
improving your cholesterol levels
reducing your blood pressure
helping you manage your body weight
controlling your blood sugar.
A healthy balanced diet includes:
Eating lots of vegetables and fruits
Choose whole grain foods
Eating protein foods
Limiting highly and ultra-processed foods
Get Moving
To maintain heart health, a little physical activity goes a long way. Regular physical activity is a great way to keep your heart healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle. 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week is all you need. If you're not sure where to start, join us on myFitness or reach out to use at info@my-fitness.ca and let us offer some guidance.
Maintain a Healthy Waist Circumference
Where you carry your weight is just as important as how much weight you carry when it comes to your health. Measuring waist circumference can help to assess weight-related health risk. Even at a healthy weight, excess fat carried around the waist can increase your risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease and type-2 diabetes. The easiest way to assess your own waist circumference is to grab a measuring tape and measure straight across your belly button (use a mirror or someone else to help to ensure the tape goes straight around). Male: more than 94 cm / 37 inches is increased risk; more than 102 cm / 40 inches is substantially increased risk. Female: more than 80 cm / 31.5 inches is increased risk; more than 88 cm / 35 inches) is substantially increased risk. Once you know your risk level, you can start taking action to lower your risk and improve your heart health.
Remember, myFitness Virtual Memberships are FREE for all Sun Life employees and our onsite facility is now open at the Waterloo-King location! For more information, please visit www.my-fitness.ca or Click here to sign up for myFitness today!
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