You’ve done a lot in your life. Lived big, had a career—or careers—been places, done things. Everyone can see that.
But how’s your heart health?
We’re asking because every February in the U.S. is “American Heart Month.” It’s part of the Million Hearts® initiative and this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a campaign called “Start Small. Live Big.” The idea is to raise awareness for improving heart health.
For senior living, this is very important. If you’re over the age of 55, living in retirement communities, assisted living communities or assisted living facilities, or even senior apartments, make 2022 the year you focus on good heart health.
Take four easy steps
The great thing about having better heart health is it’s easy to start. Just four steps.
Step 1 is meet with your doctor. We have additional information on this here (Link to Auburn Hill February blog post 1).
Three other steps include:
- Get active—A key to a healthy heart is physical activity. It’s easier than you think and you can start with just 5 minutes so you start slow and go at your own pace. Try walking and fit one in during the morning or afternoon. Do chores to get moving. And find an activity buddy. Physical activity is more fun with someone else!
- Eat healthy—You can make a big difference in your heart health with small changes. Eat more fruits and vegetables. For example, have fruits and vegetables on half your plate at each meal. Also, canned and frozen vegetables are great! Cut down on sodium and choose healthier fats such as in olive oil, avocados and nuts.
- Be a role model—You can be an example to your family and friends on how you’re taking steps to protect your heart. Talk about your family health history. Get active together by taking a walk or bike ride together. Eat healthy meals together. You can even shop for healthy meals together.
Raising heart health awareness
A trend to watch in the U.S. is that death rates due to heart disease appear to be stalling for adults ages 35 to 64. This is happening even though death rates due to heart disease have been declining steadily for the past four decades.
In answer to this, preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes within five years and improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans are the goals of the Million Hearts® initiative. The campaign is a national effort co-led by the CDC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Million Hearts® campaign achieves this through raising awareness of healthy hearts by avoiding unhealthy behaviors that put people at risk of heart attack and stroke. It also focuses on improving the care of those with key risk factors.
So what will you do to improve your cardiovascular health. How about taking those steps? And better yet, find someone to take those steps with you.
Get To Know Auburn Hill Senior Living
At Auburn Hill Senior Living we know that choosing the right community for yourself or a loved one is a big responsibility. Touring communities and asking questions can be taxing.
Let us make the experience enjoyable for you! We invite you to schedule a visit and come out to experience the Auburn Hill difference for yourself.