By Cassie Prather
Woodford County Public Health Director
I hope you were able to join us at the CPR event held at the high school last weekend. If not, we have the event annually and would love to see you next year. The class is meant to be a refresher or overview of what you can do in a cardiac emergency.
Many times, family and friends are the first responders, and it’s so important that resuscitation is started before medical help arrives. In just minutes, your heart not beating deprives vital organs of oxygenated blood, causing irreversible damage.
However, the best medicine is prevention, and there are many things that you can do, in non-emergent times, that can keep your heart healthy.
Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, and your lifestyle can either promote or inhibit its performance. By living a healthy lifestyle, you can help keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels normal and lower your risk for heart disease and heart attack.
Here are some tips for heart health:
Choose healthy meals and snacks to help prevent heart disease. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods.
Eating foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats, trans fat and cholesterol can help prevent high cholesterol.
Limiting salt (sodium) in your diet can also lower your blood pressure.
Drinking less alcohol may help lower or prevent high blood pressure.
Maintain a healthy weight.
People who struggle with excess weight or obesity have a higher risk of heart disease. Carrying extra weight can put extra stress on the heart and blood vessels.
Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels. For adults, the surgeon general recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking or bicycling, every week. Children and adolescents should get 1 hour of physical activity every day.
Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease. If you smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit. You can also visit quitnowkentucky.org for additional resources to help you quit smoking.
Lastly, your health care team should test your blood cholesterol levels at least once every 4 to 6 years. Talk with your health care team about this simple blood test. If you have high cholesterol, medicines and lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk for heart disease.