Nutrition

Employing healthy eating habits and kicking the bad ones is a huge factor in reducing your risk of heart disease. Try planning your menu for the week in advance, incorporating plenty of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. When shopping, look at labels!  Stay away from processed foods, which tend to be high in sodium, and products with high cholesterol, saturated fats and trans-fats. Then cook at home as much as possible. Look for simple, healthy recipes online - cooking for yourself is typically much healthier than eating out, and you can control exactly what goes into your food. When you do have to eat out, be sure to make smart choices: ask your server about getting sauces and dressings on the side and the types of oil items are cooked in, order water instead of soda,etc. For more information on learning how to "eat healthy in the real world", check out our upcoming Health and Wellness Symposium March 12^th (more info at the bottom of this newsletter) or check out Wellness Concepts' nutrition counseling options for an expert, guided approach to help get you started in the right direction!
Click here to visit our website for more info. 

Physical Activity

Get moving! Regular physical activity is key in maintaining a healthy heart - but there are numerous other benefits as well! Boost your mental wellness, improve your immunity, lower risk factors, prolong optimal health to age better...getting active does all these things. Start slow if needed - but start somewhere...even parking farther away from the entrance to buildings, or taking stairs instead of the elevator will help! Check out some more tips at the AHA's website:   

Click here to visit www.heart.org to learn more.

Weight Management

Losing weight can be the hardest component to helping improve and maintain heart health, but it is also one of the most important. 60-70% of Americans are considered obese, and taking off even a few pounds can increase cardiovascular health and put you on track to reduce your risk of serious or even life-threatening conditions. Body composition plays a huge part in understanding where you stand and learning where you need to go when making weight loss goals, as well as monitoring loss to be sure you're shedding the right type of pounds (fat vs. muscle). Scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter to learn about Wellness Concepts' detailed body composition test, and when to schedule to get one FREE!

Stress Management 

Many of us put ourselves on the back burner during everyday life, in order to take care of family, work, etc., figuring we can "handle the stress". But stress plays a significant role in health, and "just pushing through it" can do more harm than we often realize. Determine your actual stress level and learn healthy tips for handling it at the AHA's website:   

Click here to visit www.heart.org to learn more.

Fats and Oils

Not all fat is bad for you! Healthy fats like the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil can have a significant impact on your cardiovascular health. These fatty acids (specifically EPA and DHA) can, in proper balance:  

Reduce triglyceride (fat) levels in blood  

Reduce LDL (bad) and raise HDL (good) cholesterol  

Slow the progression and increase the stability of hardening arteries

(atherosclerosis)

Reduce blood pressure and thrombosis 

Regulate the rhythmic beating of the heart

For more info on fish oil and the importance of omega-3, check out our recent blog article:

Click here for blog article.

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