Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease Through 10 Daily Habits

According to the American Heart Association, “among females 20 years and older, nearly 45% are living with some form of cardiovascular disease and less than 50% of women entering pregnancy in the United States have good heart health.” Cardiovascular disease is also the number one killer of women. As women, we owe it to ourselves to know how to take care of our heart. 

If your heart rate is 80 beats per minute, that means your heart beats about 115,200 times a day, 42,048,000 times a year, and over 3 billion times in a lifetime (if you live until at least 80). Wow!

Even though our heart takes care of us, most of us don’t spend much time thinking about what we can do to care for our hearts. Our daily lifestyle habits have a tremendous impact on our heart health. At Diana Health, we care about your whole health and wellness, including your heart. 

Keep reading to learn our top ten tips for keeping your heart happy during National Women’s Heart Health Month and for decades to come. 

1. Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule: Recent research has highlighted the importance of having a regular sleep pattern for heart health. Try to go to bed, and wake-up around the same time every day and night. Consider setting a reminder on your phone to start preparing for bed, turning off screens, dimming the lights, and relaxing.
2. Prioritize relationships: February is the perfect time to spend time with people who are special to you. Research shows that caring and supportive relationships are good for our heart. When we are with people who care about us and we feel loved, it is easier for us to be relaxed and have normal blood pressure, both of which promote heart health.
3. Eat the rainbow: When we eat different colored fruits and vegetables, we are getting a variety of phytonutrients (or plant nutrients). Phytonutrients help keep our hearts and blood vessels healthy. Aim to eat several different colors of fruits and vegetables each day. You don’t need to eat the entire rainbow daily, but hopefully, over the course of a week, you’ll have enjoyed a rainbow of heart-healthy fruits and vegetables.
4. Enjoy red foods: Red fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, cherries, watermelon, red peppers, red onions, and tomatoes, contain the carotenoid lycopene. Lycopene has been shown to help decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL) which supports a healthy heart.
5. Take a walk after a meal: Taking a 15-minute walk after a meal, helps to keep blood sugar levels more stable, which supports heart health. You don’t need to hit the gym in order to have a healthy heart. Explore your neighborhood trails, take your dog on a walk around the block, or walk to meet some neighbors down the street. Your heart will thank you.
6. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night: People who sleep less than 6 hours a night or over 9 hours a night, have been found to have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Although our society doesn’t prioritize sleep, making sleep a priority for you will help keep your heart healthy for years to come.
7. Address your stressors: Chronic, high levels of stress are dangerous for women’s heart health. Whether it’s high levels of work-related stress, demands of juggling caregiving, or systemic injustice, all of these take a toll not only on our emotional health, but also our physical health. Although deep breathing won’t fix everything, try to incorporate mindfulness, pausing to take a few deep breaths throughout the day, set boundaries, and reach out and ask for help.
8. Increase your heart rate: For health benefits, guidelines state that women should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week (where you can talk while exercising but not sing). However, every little bit counts. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Some of the largest health gains are made when women go from being very sedentary to getting a little aerobic activity in their days. Check with your healthcare provider prior to starting an exercise routine.
9. Eat foods that look like they did when they were grown:  Try to eat more whole or minimally processed foods and avoid ultra-processed foods (e.g. chips, candy, soda, store-bought bakery items, hot dogs). This helps to keep your blood sugar more stable, feeds your gut bacteria with beneficial fiber, supports energy throughout the day, and keeps your heart healthy too.
10. Pick up the phone: Make an appointment with your health care professional to talk about your heart health. Nine out of 10 women have one or more risk factors for heart disease (e.g. high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, or a family history of premature heart disease).

During Women’s Heart Health month, our Diana Health team wants you to pause and remember how important your heart health is to yourself and to those who you love. We are here for you to help you with keeping your heart as healthy as possible. Our expertise in women goes far beyond pap smears. We are here to support your heart health and when needed, refer you to others who can support your heart health, too (such as our registered dietitian, social work, mental health professionals, and other physicians in the community with heart health expertise). If you haven’t discussed your heart health and risk factors with a provider, book a visit to speak with one of our providers!