Take Care Of Your Heart This Valentine's Day; Lutheran Has Healthy Gift Ideas
Posted
Staff Report-
FORT WAYNE – This year, Americans will spend approximately $2 billion on candy gifts for the special valentines in their lives.
That’s good news for the chocolate industry, but it’s a whole lot of sugar. If you’re looking for a nontraditional valentine gift for someone you love, consider giving the gift of a healthier heart.
Every year, heart disease claims the lives of a half-million men and women in the United States alone, according to a news release from Lutheran Health Network.
While progress has been made in diagnosing, preventing and treating heart disease over the past three decades, it is still by far the leading cause of death, responsible for more deaths than all forms of cancer combined.
Women and men share equal risk when it comes to developing heart disease, but their symptoms may be significantly different. There are some things you can do to help protect your heart and the hearts of those you love:
• Evaluate and address metabolic syndrome, which could include large waist size, elevated blood pressure, glucose intolerance, low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. Metabolic syndrome is reversible, and your doctor can help determine your ideal numbers. Valentine’s Day gift ideas: tandem bike, healthy cooking classes or a beginners’ yoga DVD.
• Address diabetes head-on. Type II diabetes is highly treatable and in some cases, even reversible. Valentine’s Day gift ideas: fresh strawberries, gift cards for smoothies or a personal blood glucose monitor.
• Stop smoking. Smoking remains one of the greatest independent risks for heart attack and stroke in both sexes, but women who smoke are twice as likely to have a heart attack as male smokers. Valentine’s Day gift ideas: quit smoking together and ask your doctor for an appropriate stop smoking aid.
• Get moving. Sitting more than six hours a day increases your risk of heart disease almost as much as smoking. Valentine’s Day gift ideas: standing work desk, mini stair stepper, activity band or pedometer or high-quality running shoes.
• Relax. The dangers of chronic stress, overwork and sleep deprivation cannot be overestimated in terms of the impact on your heart health. Valentine’s Day gift ideas: weekend staycation or local meditation or yoga classes you can do virtually.
• Get peace of mind. If you have risk factors, symptoms or family history of heart disease, invest in appropriate diagnostic testing to ensure your risk is managed. Valentine’s Day gift ideas: schedule a visit with your primary care provider and make your loved one a heart healthy meal.
Anyone who needs assistance finding a provider to help diagnose or manage heart disease can call contact Lutheran Health Physicians at 833-546-4968.
