Salt Lake City, Utah (Good Things Utah) — February is Heart Month and experts want to remind people that taking care of your heart health starts early in life and Intermountain Health has many ways to help. Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States.
Doctors say heart disease prevention starts young and includes monitoring your health throughout your life.
“About six percent of women in their 20’s already has evidence of coronary artery disease, so it’s vital people get their annual physicals,” said Liz Joy, MD, director of wellness and nutrition at Intermountain Health. “During those checkups caregivers will test for things such as cholesterol which is an early sign of possible heart issues.”
Patients can also use an Intermountain LiVe Well Center to get the education and tools they need to become heart healthy. The centers over classes and services for exercise, nutrition, and health tracking.
Years ago, Dr. Joy recommended her patient Linda LeCheminant go to a LiVe Well Center for classes and a consultation with an exercise physiologist. LeCheminant was suffering from hypertension which makes people susceptible to heart disease.
Intermountain caregivers tested her physical abilities and recommend exercises which were good for LeCheminant’s heart health. Now she exercises regularly and has avoided serious complications from heart disease.
Intermountain LiVe Well Centers also offer nutrition classes which give people the guidance to focus on a healthy lifestyle and ways to eat foods that meet a person’s unique needs. Proper diet is a major part of heart health.
Dr. Joy also has these tips for focusing on your health:
• Get Regular Physical Activity: 150 min/week of moderate intensity PA + 2 sessions per week strength training).
• Eat a Healthy Diet: She recommends “The Plate” – ½ the plate being fruits and vegies, ¼ being lean protein, and ¼ being whole grain.
• Get Enough Sleep: Adults should get 7-9 hours a night.
• Manage Your Stress: Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, breathwork are all good examples.
• Avoidance of unhealthy substances: ANY tobacco use, excessive alcohol use.
• Maintain Strong Social Connections.
• Be Mindful of Environmental Exposures: Utah’s air quality results in inflammation which in turn can worsen heart disease in some people.
For more information on health programs offered at Intermountain LiVe Well Centers, go to https://intermountainhealthcare.org/services/wellness-preventive-medicine/live-well-centers/.
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