Five Heart Healthy Tips for Seniors in Honor of Heart Health Month

While a positive outlook on aging can offer significant mental and physical benefits, it’s also important to take care of your body, especially your heart. In the U.S., a heart attack strikes someone every 40 seconds, and a cardiac arrest occurs every 90 seconds. As seniors are especially vulnerable to heart disease, here are some tips for staying heart healthy:

1. Keep moving.Consider joining a structured program like Elderwerks' Stepping Out to Fitness (SOTF). The monthly fitness challenge encourages participants to track their exercises (running, jumping, stretching, yoga, and other workouts) in a fitness log. Completed logs are entered into monthly drawings, with larger prizes like a Smartwatch or flat-screen TV awarded in a year-end drawing.

2. Eat right. Eating a heart-healthy diet is important. There are many local and virtual resources available to help make smart eating choices. Community health centers and hospitals offer in-person and virtual nutrition programs and counseling services to guide you to proper eating habits.

3. Quit Smoking.Smoking and second-hand smoke contribute to heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Smoking damages the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

4. Manage existing conditions.Effectively controlling diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol is crucial for heart health. This includes monitoring cholesterol, blood glucose (sugar), and blood pressure levels. Moderating alcohol consumption and paying attention to your body’s signals are also important.

5. Reduce stress. Stress can negatively impact heart health by increasing inflammation, blood pressure, and heart rate. As Yale Medicine reports, stress management techniques can contribute to a healthier heart.

A healthy heart helps your golden years be the best they can be. We typically plan financially for retirement, but let’s plan to be healthy as well.

For more information, please contact:

Elderwerks Educational Services

251 E. Northwest Highway

Palatine, IL 60067

Ph: 855.462.0100

https://www.elderwerks.org/