National Heart Month

Coinciding with Valentine’s Day, February is National Heart Month, and brings with it awareness that there are in fact 2.6 million people living in the UK with Coronary Heart Disease.

Coinciding with Valentine’s Day, February is National Heart Month, and brings with it awareness that there are in fact 2.6 million people living in the UK with Coronary Heart Disease. Having a heart condition can affect all areas of your life, such as work, family, travel, sex, driving, and even just simply daily tasks such as moving around your home or getting dressed. Each day your heart beats approximately 100,000 times, pumping 23,000 litres of blood around the body and it a vital part of your cardiovascular system. Problems with this system can take many forms but the most common issues are heart attack, stroke, and angina. These problems occur when your arteries become narrowed by fatty material. In time, your arteries may become so narrow that they cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to your heart. Understanding the workings of the heart is not an easy process, but as every single one of us has a heart, it means every single one of us is at risk of disease or complication. But there is an upside – there are lots of simple changes you can make with your diet and fitness which will help to benefit your heart and its health. Set yourself realistic goals that are specific to your needs but also achievable. For example, set a goal to walk 30 minutes every day. Remember, everyday activities count, so look out for opportunities to be active during the day – even if its housework.

• Plenty of fruit and vegetables.
• Plenty of starchy foods such as bread, rice,
• potatoes and pasta.
• Choose wholegrain varieties wherever possible.
• Some milk and dairy products.
• Some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other
• non-dairy sources of protein.
• Only a small amount of foods and drinks high in fats and/or sugar.

Making small changes to your exercise and diet will make a huge impact on your health and your heart. Although there are treatments to help with Coronary Heart Disease such as pacemakers, medication, statins, and surgery and even heart transplants; the best thing is to look after the heart you have. The British Heart Foundation’s vision is a world in which people do not die prematurely or suffer from cardiovascular disease – you can head to their website for more information or to see how you can help to raise money for this worthy cause this month.