Plant the Seeds for Heart Health
My mother is an incredible gardener. Her backyard is full of rows and clusters of blooms that explode in color every year. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are frequent visitors. When I was younger, I thought she could just look at a piece of ground and make something amazing grow. Through the years, I learned that her beautiful garden is the result of intentional habits that create a space for those delightful, healthy explosions of color and fragrance.
February is American Heart Month. Spring is right around the corner and brings a fresh breath of renewal. We focus on being our best selves this time of year – practicing healthier habits as part of the new year as we prepare for the spring and summer months ahead. Just like healthy habits, new blooms are starting to emerge.
Beautiful gardens don’t just happen; they require time, effort, and patience. As it turns out, you don’t inherit a green thumb. You must learn and practice intentional habits: seeds must be planted, weeds must be plucked, and care must be taken to water, fertilize, and tend the spaces so beautiful things can grow.
Like my mother’s garden, a healthy heart is something we can cultivate. Healthy hearts can be grown and tended with healthy behaviors. Unhealthy hearts are less likely to be caused by genetics than behaviors. Unhealthy habits must be pruned to make space for healthy habits to thrive. With time and intention, even hearts with some challenges can become stronger and healthier.
What habits lead to a healthy heart? According to the INTERHEART Study Investigators that examined heart disease in 52 countries showed 90% of cardiac diseases around the world can be explained by risk factors that we can change through healthier choices. These risk factors are the weeds in your heart garden: high cholesterol and blood lipids, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, extra abdominal weight, stress and lack of social connection, lower intake of fruits and vegetables, higher alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity.
Start today with healthy choices to help change those risk factors:
- Eat meals full of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains
- Limit or eliminate unhealthy fats like butter, baked goods, full-fat dairy products, and animal-based foods
- Decrease sodium intake – avoid adding additional salt to meals
- Get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, more if you need to lose weight
- Manage your diabetes well – keep your A1C in a healthy range
- Stop smoking
- Minimize alcohol consumption
- Manage stress levels: practice deep breathing and mindfulness
- Connect socially with others who encourage you
Plant the seeds for good health. Make one healthy choice, then make another. Tend your heart garden daily with healthy habits so they take root and grow. With the advent of spring, get the family involved – spend some time outside together and plant lettuce seeds in a pot. Eat your harvest. That’s good for your heart garden and your yard garden!
Even the best gardeners sometimes need help. Call us at the Lifestyle Medicine Center today, 432-221-LIFE(5433) for additional information and support from one of our experts to get started.
At the Lifestyle Medicine Center, we offer:
Consultations with a lifestyle medicine certified physician or nurse practitioner
Registered Dietitian services
EatLove nutrition prescriptions tailored to your needs
The LIFT Project: A lifestyle-based mental health and wellbeing program
Personalized Health Coaching packages
Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehab
Pivot Smoking Cessation