Considerations during National Stroke Awareness Month

How are you feeling today? With so much happening in the world around us, it’s sometimes easy to lose focus and set health goals aside. However, it’s never too late to start a health and wellness journey. This National Stroke Awareness Month, I’m encouraging Wacoans to make health a priority, so we can all live longer, healthier lives.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, more than 1 in 3 adults live with one or more types of cardiovascular disease. Heart disease and stroke can result in serious illness, disability, a decreased quality of life and even death. What’s even more concerning is the toll the pandemic is causing on our mental health.

Now is the time for us to take control of our health. For starters, we can all do our part in this pandemic by getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine can help our bodies develop immunity and help protect us from serious health complications and organ damage resulting from the virus.

If we make significant improvements to things we can control like our diets, physical activity and high blood pressure, the catastrophic burdens caused from cardiovascular disease would decline.

Here are some tips from the American Heart Association and experts to help you achieve ideal heart health:

1. Improve your diet: The food you eat can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium, and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich whole grains.
2. Exercise regularly: Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to remain heart healthy. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity five times per week.
3. Stop smoking: Being smoke-free can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as cancer and chronic lung disease.
4. Limit your alcohol intake: Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure and increase the chances of a stroke. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Experts recommend no more than two drinks per day.
5. Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. For overweight or obese adults with other risk factors such as high blood pressure, a weight loss of 3-5% of body weight can produce clinically significant results against heart disease prevention.
6. Manage health conditions: Manage health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Each of these are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and all can be managed through a healthy diet, physical activity, and in some cases, medication.
7. Keep a journal: Take up journaling to capture the healthy foods and exercises you enjoy. Keep a daily record to help you stay on track and reach important milestones on your health and wellness journey.
8. Mental health: Don’t be afraid to seek counseling if you’re grieving, dealing with some type of loss or experiencing separation anxiety. Studies show that maintaining safe social relationships can improve our mental and physical health.

Remember, you can reap great health benefits at any age. And when asked how you are feeling, you can simply say, “I feel great.”