February is Heart Month

February is a cold and blustery month and if you are like many Canadians, you tend to limit outdoor activity and eat more comfort food. However, February is also “Heart Month”. Did you know that over 5% of adults in Ontario have cardiac disease, and over 30% of deaths in Canada are directly related to cardiovascular disease?

Risk factors for heart disease include smoking, alcohol, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Some of these we are born with or have a family history of, but all risk factors can be reduced. Heart Month gives us the opportunity to think about how we can work towards improving our health and decreasing our own risks of heart attack. You cannot control your age, gender or family history, but there are many things you can do to improve you heart health.

If you are a smoker, quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do not just for your heart but also for many other health issues. Eating a healthy diet based on the Canadian food guide low in fat and salt can decrease the risks of obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Keeping active also decreases your cholesterol and blood pressure, and improves fitness.

Exercise may be one of the simplest strategies. You may have to be creative to plan for exercise in February, and here are a few ideas: indoor walking in the mall or a big box store, attending an exercise class, just climbing the stairs in your home an extra 3 or 4 times a day. The extra efforts will be well worth it. You will feel better and your heart will love you for it.

So now, when you look outside and it is snowing, and the wind is blowing, take stock of how you can improve your heart health!