Revolutionize Your Heart Health: 5 Game-Changing Tips for Women

Imagine being at the peak of your life and career only to face an unexpected health crisis that derails everything. Heart disease is a silent threat particularly prevalent among women, often striking without warning. In fact, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death among women.

But what if you could take simple, proactive steps today to safeguard your cardiovascular health and ensure a healthier tomorrow?

Here’s how to mitigate the risks associated with cardiovascular disease by adopting just a few healthy habits that make a huge difference.

1. Adopt Regular Movement

Necessary for any healthy lifestyle, but especially important for heart health, regular movement may be easier to incorporate into your busy lifestyle than you think.

Experts recommend walking, jogging, swimming or cycling for at least 150 minutes per week. Although that might seem like a lot at first, you can break it down into just 30 minutes of exercise every workday. For example, take a brisk walk during your lunch break or go for a swim or jog after work or before dinner. You’ll enjoy reduced blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, and improved fitness as a result.

Need help sticking to a new exercise routine? Use a habit tracker to monitor your progress.

2. Ensure You’re Getting Adequate Nutrition

The right mix of nutrients is necessary to manage weight, lower blood pressure, and improve cholesterol levels. For the utmost in cardiovascular health, aim to eat plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables to improve digestion and regulate blood sugar levels; fish, poultry, and legumes for essential nutrients without excess saturated fats; and heart-healthy fat sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil.

If you find it difficult to eat a nutrient-rich diet, start by educating yourself. Learn to read nutrition labels and how to avoid excess sodium, added sugars, and trans fats. Then, pick your food accordingly, even if you’re eating convenient, quick meals that don’t require much cooking or prep on your end.

If you do enjoy cooking and food prep, consider planning and preparing balanced meals ahead of time (like on the weekend, for the week ahead) to avoid impulsive, unhealthy food choices.

If you need more assistance, find personalized help from a health coach or nutritionist.

3. Get a Good Night’s Rest

Quality sleep is essential for heart health. Poor sleep is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and high blood pressure. As such, aim for seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep per night.

If getting that amount of sleep seems impossible, it’s time to establish a consistent bedtime routine and invest in developing proper sleep hygiene, creating a relaxing nighttime space that signals to your body that it’s time to wind down.

4. Incorporate Stress Management Tactics

Chronic stress can increase your blood pressure, negatively impacting your heart health. Additionally, too much stress may lead to not-so-healthy coping mechanisms, such as unhealthy eating, excess drinking, or smoking.

You may need to make some lifestyle changes in order to better manage stress and, thus, protect your health. Prioritize your tasks and set realistic goals both at home and at work, to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Take regular breaks throughout the workday. Ask friends, family, or colleagues for help managing an excessive workload.

For more immediate stress relief, engage in mindfulness practices like meditation or journaling, and use deep breathing exercises to calm your mind or body. If needed, reach out to a mental health professional for more assistance.

5. Seek Organizational Support

Workplaces can significantly influence heart health, both positively and negatively. A stressful, sedentary work life can lead to poor health overall. However, a work environment that promotes wellness and reduces stress can improve employee health and even productivity. Encourage your organization to support employees’ well-being through physical activity, healthy food choices in the workplace, wellness programs, and/or fitness challenges.

The Bottom Line

By incorporating regular movement, adequate nutrition, quality sleep, and effective stress management into your daily routines, you can significantly improve your heart health.

“When it comes to women’s health, it is especially important for them to support their heart health by maintaining a healthy lifestyle with regular movement, adequate nutrition (including the consumption of healthy fats and fiber), nurturing a good night’s rest, and stress management,” Adriana Rodriguez, director of corporate wellness at Arootah, says.

“The guidance I would suggest is that it’s always best to embed these healthy habits ideally before the onset of menopause, but it’s never too late to start creating a new, supportive routine! Organizations can play a role in the prevention of heart disease by incentivizing taking work breaks throughout the day, ideally walking or stepping away from the computer and creating a positive/flexible work culture to eliminate any unnecessary work stress, and, if a canteen/cafeteria is offered, making healthy options available is recommended (e.g. whole grain options, fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy snacks and lean proteins).”

Need more help? Learn about Arootah’s Corporate Wellness Program and how it can increase health and well-being among your teams. Book a consultation call to get started.