Juggling family and career leaves many adults with little time to
worry about their hearts. Here are some ways to balance all three.
- Make heart-healthy living a family affair.
Create and sustain heart-healthy habits in your kids and you’ll reap
the benefits, too. Spend less time on the couch and more time on the
move. Explore a nearby park on foot or bike. Shoot some hoops or walk
the dog.
Plant a vegetable and fruit garden together in the yard, and invite your kids into the kitchen to help cook.
- Know your family history. Shake down your family tree
to learn about heart health. Having a relative with heart disease
increases your risk, and more so if the relative is a parent or sibling.
That means you need to focus on risk factors you can control by maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, not smoking and eating right.
Also, keep your doctor informed about any heart problems you learn about in your family.
- Tame your stress. Long-term stress causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure that may damage the artery walls.
Learning stress management techniques not only benefits your body, but also your quality of life. Try deep breathing exercises and find time each day to do something you enjoy.
Giving back through volunteering also does wonders for knocking out stress.
