Get moving.
Like all muscles, your heart needs
exercise. This week—and every week—aim for at least
150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such
as brisk walking. Share your heart-healthy habit with a
loved one—invite him or her to join you on a walk.
Know your numbers.
If you don’t know your blood
pressure and cholesterol numbers, make an appoint-
ment this week with your doctor to have them checked.
Having high blood pressure or too much LDL choles-
terol (the bad kind) in your blood can put you at risk
for heart disease.
Being overweight also makes heart disease more
likely. You probably know if you’re carrying too many
pounds. But if you aren’t sure, it’s another thing to
discuss with your doctor.
He or she can advise you on lifestyle changes or
medicines to help you achieve heart-healthy numbers
in all three areas.
Vow to quit.
Smoking harms the heart as well as the
lungs. So if you light up, it’s important to ditch the habit
for good. Smoking also hurts your family and friends
because exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger
heart problems. Quitting is an act of love not only for
your heart—but also for all the hearts that surround you.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute; U.S. Census Bureau
WEEK 2
PET
PALS
CAN HAVE
A POSITIVE
EFFECT ON HEALTH
It’s not only an apple a day that can keep the doctor
away. Fluffy and Fido can help too.
Pets may do far more for their owners than fetch-
ing the paper, scaring off intruders or returning love.
Having a pet might actually reduce your risk of po-
tentially serious health problems like heart disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, a pet at your side can help lower
both your blood pressure and your cholesterol—two
major risk factors for heart disease.
And, if you already have heart disease, four-legged
friends appear to reduce your risk of dying from it.
Consider the results of a study funded by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) that tracked 421
adults who had heart attacks. A year after those at-
tacks, dog owners were much more likely to be alive
than those without dogs, no matter how severe the
heart attack.
Dogs in particular may protect against heart
disease because their owners tend to exercise
more—which reduces risk—than people without
dogs. Dog owners are also more likely to meet recom-
mended exercise guidelines.
So the next time your dog pesters you for a walk,
grab the leash—and consider yourself lucky.
NICE TO MEET YOU
Man’s best friend may also help you make more
human friends, the NIH reports.
Research reveals that walking dogs tends to spark
conversations and helps us stay socially connected—
a real plus. In general, the more social relationships
we have, the longer we live—and the less likely we
are to decline mentally or physically.
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
Juneau
KH . ORG
17
