Heart health is important for the whole family!
Keeping your family heart healthy is easy – and fun! The following ideas, courtesy of American Heart Association, can be implemented slowly into your daily routine to keep your family healthy year-round.
- Plan family activity time. Block out two 30-minute and two 60-minute time slots for family activity time. Play a sport, go hiking or take a stroll around the neighborhood.
- Develop a weekly menu, go shopping and prepare your meals in advance. Cook large batches when you have more time and store it in order to make delicious, healthy meals week-long. Stay away from processed and fast foods. Keep everyone interested in nutrition by scheduling a weekly family cooking night.
- Learn and teach your family how to prioritize. These days, the expectation to over-achieve can wreak havoc on our health. Non-stop schedules can lead to burn-out. To prevent burn-out, implement rest breaks throughout the week to focus on stress management and relaxation.
- Start small. Every change requires baby steps in order to make it into a life-long habit. If a new activity doesn’t work for the family, try alternatives until something sticks. Remember, living heart-healthy is a journey!
- Hold family members accountable. Implementing new habits or nutrition plans can be difficult at first, but holding each family member accountable for helping out can make a huge difference in the overall success of your heart-healthy family plans.
- Lead by example. If we expect our children to eat healthy, we should eat healthy, too!
For more information about heart health, check out the resources at American Heart Association.
Book your heart screening now at Manhattan Cardiology to get your heart-health plan started!
