I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make every day of my life a happy one. Joy makes life more enjoyable, and our health affects our ability to feel that joy. Think about it. When you have a headache, a cold, or the flu, it’s more difficult to enjoy the positive and all too easy to focus on the negative. And we’re just talking about temporary health issues, not life-altering disease.
Heart disease is a major one in the U.S. At least 600,000 people die from it each year. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death for both women and men. A general term encompassing several different conditions, heart disease includes coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease. Both of these can cause heart attack and stroke—costing the U.S. more than $312 billion every year in doctor and hospital visits, medications and lost productivity.
Scary statistics, I know. I learned them when I recently read that February is American Heart Month. And because I want the fans of Zu-Li Designs to live the longest, healthiest and happiest lives possible, I decided to share a few of the tips I found to take care of your heart.
- Cut back on sodium. Most of us consume 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day when we should only eat 1,500 milligrams. This increases our risk of high blood pressure.
- Increase physical activity. Help your heart, energize your body and quiet your mind with exercise. Aim for 150 minutes per week.
- Aim for normal blood pressure. About 67 million adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. Taking steps to lower it (like reducing sodium and exercising more), will greatly reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Don’t smoke. HIV, illegal drugs, alcohol, cars and violence cause a lot of deaths every year. Tobacco causes even more. Help your heart and quit for good. If you’re looking for a way to quit without the scary side effects, try Hypnotherapy.
Here’s to your healthy, happy heart! Take care!
Peace & Love,
Billie
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