GO RED FOR WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH

Go Red for Women's Heart Health






Today kicks off Women's Heart Disease Awareness Month. It is a great reminder of the importance for us women to put ourselves first and make our health more of a priority. This hits home for me because a close family member of mine had a health scare last year and it involved her heart. It was so unexpected and literally knocked us off our feet. We could not understand how she could be so young and nearly had heart failure. This truly opened our eyes and showed us that no matter your age, heart disease can creep upon you and you wouldn't even know it. See, the thing is, she finally realized how she had not really been taking good care of herself as she should. The lack of exercise, poor eating and excess stress had begun to take it's toll.



One thing about the human body, is it will tell you when enough is enough, whether you like it or not. Whether you are ready to slow down or not, your body will react in a way where you will be  knocked off your feet and you are forced to listen! This incident opened all of our eyes. There are luckily ways that you can avoid heart disease as well as recover after you have had a diagnosis.


1. Exercise is key
 Most of us already know the importance of exercise but we often do not take it seriously until something happens. More often than not, if you exercise consistently, you can avoid many health issues. Our bodies were made to self heal but it only does it's job if we make the time to get in our physical activity on a daily basis.


2. You are what you eat
This statement is so true and not just a cliché. If you are filling your body with fried foods, sugar loaded deserts, excess carbs, etc. then you can only expect that your body is eventually going to shut down. I love a good burger once in awhile but I have learned to do things in moderation. I mentioned in my earlier article that I had started doing the "Day Off Diet" created by Dr. Oz. It has helped me balance out my eating in a major way. I am more cautious of the things I eat but I allow myself one day off during the weekend, where I eat a meal of my choice. It has not effected my weight loss goals at all. The key is not to pig out and lose your mind on that day off.


3. Portion, portion, portion
I just mentioned eating everything in moderation. You don't have to deny yourself your favorite foods, BUT if your going to have it, you must be disciplined to limit yourself to one serving. You would be amazed at how much we as Americans eat when you really learn what a real serving is. We are often eating way more than we should because we are used to eating until we feel full. Monitoring your portions is vital if your going to create a healthier lifestyle for yourself. I have learned to use measuring cups and read labels a lot more often now.


4. Manage stress
This is something we often hear all the time but still ignore and don't treat it as we should. Stress can be good to an extent but not if it is getting to a point where you are worrying all the time or upset about every little thing that happens. Life happens and there are some things we can control and some things that are out of our control. This, I have learned to accept and I had to really pray about this and ask God to worry about things out of my control. The sooner you realize this the better. How do you deal with stress? You know there was a time, I was so stressed out I literally started drinking alcohol. I am not a drinker at all but I felt I needed something to help me relax. It wasn't anything real strong and it wasn't every day but the fact that I felt I needed a drink because what I was dealing with was not good at all. Now, I make more time with friends, I started blogging which is very relaxing as well as inspiring for me. Find what you love and spend more time doing it to conquer stress.


5. Love thyself
Love yourself enough to take better care of you. No one else can do it for you. Decide today that you are worth it and make the necessary lifestyle changes so you can be healthier. Good health leads to overall well-being. Write a list of daily affirmations you can say every morning you awake. This is quite empowering! I am all about encouraging yourself and building yourself up. You can start with something like this: "I am a beautiful, strong and courageous woman. I value my body and I will commit to being healthier and take better care of me."