It’s Heart Month! Get Active: Your Heart Will Thank You!

From the American College of Cardiology (ACC)

February is American Heart Month and a good reminder to prioritize your heart health. Small actions like choosing healthy foods and moving more can have a big impact on your heart health. Check out these resources from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) to help you get active and build a healthier lifestyle.

This Heart Month try to add more healthy habits to your lifestyle to improve both your heart health and overall well-being. Setting a small goal like moving more can offer big, tangible benefits. Short periods of exercise can help reduce the harms of an inactive lifestyle, like a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and dementia.

Among the many benefits to being active:

• Stronger Immune System

• Improved Cardiovascular Fitness

• Lower Blood Pressure

• Lower Cholesterol

• Enhanced Insulin Sensitivity

• Reduced Inflammation

• Improved Weight and Body Composition

Moderate exercise is recommended for 150 minutes each week, but don’t be overwhelmed by the number! You can start small by breaking these minutes up and making them a natural part of your daily life.

Need help starting? Check out ACC’s CardioSmart resources on moving more and building a heart-healthy lifestyle.

In addition to exercise, don’t forget that part of heart-healthy living is staying up-to-date with your vaccines. Vaccines can help you avoid serious illness while also protecting your heart. For example, this CardioSmart video shows how flu affects the heart and why getting a flu shot is important.

Knowing what vaccines you need and keeping track of them can be hard in today’s busy world. Download this vaccine record from CardioSmart to find out what vaccines you might need, especially if you have heart disease. Just like you’re keeping a record of your medications, you should keep a record of your vaccines too – this worksheet can help you with that.

Building a heart-healthy lifestyle takes time, but even small steps like regular exercise and staying on top of vaccinations have major benefits over time. Make the most out of the resources available this Heart Month to build a healthy routine for you and your loved ones.

Resources from CardioSmart.org:

• Healthy Living (hub)

• Move More (hub)

• How Hard is the Activity? (fact sheet)

• Protect Your Heart With the Vaccines You Need (infographic)

• Have Heart Disease? Get the Vaccines You Need to Stay Healthy. (handout)

• Stay on Top of Your Vaccines (worksheet)

• Have Heart Disease? Take Steps to Avoid the Flu. (handout)

• Keeping a Vaccine Record is Important – Even For Adults (handout)

• COVID: 5 Ways to Keep Your Heart Safe (infographic)

• How Flu Affects Your Heart: Why Getting a Flu Shot is Important (video)