Beat it! Recognizing World Health Day

Since before you were born, your heart has pumped blood throughout your body to sustain growth, energy, and life. This same heart will continue to beat more than 2.6 billion times throughout the average person’s lifetime. That is about 100,000 times a day. Or 72 times per minute. As the most important muscle in the body, heart health is incredibly important, especially as more people across the world suffer from heart-related diseases.

Today, we join the World Heart Federation (WHF) to recognize World Heart Day. Created 25 years ago, World Heart Day raises awareness for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) which impact over 20 million people and is the most common cause of death worldwide. Around 80% of CVD deaths are preventable; however, 4 in 5 people are not getting the treatment they need to control their blood pressure. For this reason, the WHF advocates for better heart health and increased access to life-saving care through early screening and healthy habits.

However, there are choices you as an individual can make to establish healthy habits and prevent heart disease including:

1. Choose healthy foods and drinks: eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, drink water, and consume less processed foods and alcohol.
2. Check your cholesterol: discuss the frequency of blood tests depending on your risk level
3. Control your blood pressure: high blood pressure does not always have symptoms, so if you are at a high risk, it should be checked regularly
4. Take charge of your medical conditions: schedule regular medical check-ups, communicate with your doctors, and take your medication as prescribed.
5. Perform regular exercise: just 30 minutes of movement a day can reduce your risk of Cardio Vascular Disease.

Staying active: 30 minutes of cardio a day is generally considered a good amount for maintaining cardiovascular health and can be beneficial for weight loss. It aligns with recommendations from health organizations like the American Heart Association. However, the effectiveness can depend on the intensity of the cardio and individual fitness goals.