The Pandemic Didn’t Freeze Everything
Even during the pandemic, health conditions continued to affect us. I know I’m not alone in saying that the lockdown made it very easy to slack on exercise and eating healthy. Often in times of stress and chaos we use food and drink to quell our emotions, and temporarily it can offer a quick fix, but in the long-term it comes back to bite us. One such “bite” is heart disease, compounded by sedentary lifestyles and poor diet, this condition is a silent killer that has been a leading cause of death in the United States for decades. An NPR interview with a Primary Care Physician states “ There's even more within our control when it comes to heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., even during 2020. On average, it kills about 655,000 Americans each year.” (Kendrick, 2021)
Like Covid-19, heart disease doesn’t care about race, ethnicity, gender, age etc. Heart disease is caused by a buildup of plaque in the passageways of the heart, allowing for the disease to take hold.Eventually the buildup blocks the routine and necessary functions of the heart, forcing the heart to shut down, resulting in heart attacks. NPR reported “it happens to someone in theU.S. once every 40 seconds.” (Kendrick, 2021) The scariest fact is that in many cases, there are no signs or symptoms that any of this is occuring.
Diets in excess of unhealthy fats, cholesterol and sodium make individuals predisposed to acquiring Heart Disease. Knowledge is power, and it has been scientifically and medically proven time and time again that prevention is the best strategy. Changing one’s diet and exercise routine is a simple solution to a scary and life threatening problem. In addition, we’d like to add to the earlier article we wrote during the pandemic, that routine healthcare is still crucial to maintaining your health and staying out of the hospital with a risk of being exposed to Covid-19. Routine screenings will eliminate a large portion of the “unknown” and give you another safeguard. Establishing a baseline understanding of your risk level is crucial to further medical care and lifestyle changes.
Taking control of your health is important any any age, but we all know that risk factors increase as we get older. Here’s some steps you can take in warding off Heart Disease and others.
Step on the scale and understand where you’re at. Weight is the greatest indicator of health, as overweight bodies are predisposed to not only Heart Disease, but Diabetes, and high cholesterol to name a few. You can use a BMI (body mass indicator) tool through National Institute of Health to figure out your BMI and set a goal weight. Their body weight planning tool will help you to set a goal weight and how much you should consume each day. There are plenty of other tools out there, but this one will not cost you anything. This is not dieting for the sake of fitting into that pair of skinny jeans, this is a lifestyle change to ensure your longevity.
The pandemic made it really easy to just sit and eat. Paying attention to what you eat, when and how much is going to be a key to unlocking your weight loss. Cutting back on packaged snack foods, dinner in packages, and cups of noodles will allow you to make conscious choices about what you eat and what goes into your body. Reaching a healthy weight will improve your circulation system and keep that buildup away from your heart. Another great way to do this is moving your body! We don’t need to promote exercise for health as we all know it’s good for us, but just how good, is up to you. We aren’t advocating for you to start a “couch to 5k” but rather a lifestyle change of incorporating exercise into your daily routine. The movement allows blood vessels to flow freely, preventing them from otherwise getting blocked. Everything from yoga, to a brisk walk, to yard work is fair game. Decide what you can commit to and hold yourself to it.
As it warms up outside and we are increasingly opening ourselves to the public again, looking good and feeling good is a priority. Make sure to pay attention to your body and monitor any warning signs, seeking treatment when needed. Time to break out of the “Pandemic slump” and get ourselves back on track.
Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/04/10/985335335/heart-disease-is-still-a-killer-heres-how-to-reverse-it