{"id":15453,"date":"2015-02-18T04:55:12","date_gmt":"2015-02-17T21:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=15453"},"modified":"2015-02-18T04:57:12","modified_gmt":"2015-02-17T21:57:12","slug":"february-heart-health-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/february-heart-health-month\/","title":{"rendered":"February is Heart Health Month"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"hearth<\/a><\/div>\n

February is national Hearth Health month. \u00a0Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women over the age of 25 in the United States? \u00a0Heart disease and stroke together are by far the leading cause of death in women. \u00a0Cancer is the 2nd. \u00a0The same is true for men.<\/p>\n

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Our American diet is killing us, but there are some precautions we can take to help steer us away from complications due to heart disease. \u00a0The important thing is to know what the health test\u00a0numbers mean when assessing your heart health. Here are a few heart health indicators\u00a0you should know for your own sake and for the sake of those you care for.<\/div>\n
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Know Your Numbers<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Body Mass Index (BMI)<\/strong><\/div>\n
Your Body Mass Index is an easy indicator of assessing your heart health. It gives you an idea of your risk for weight-related health problems. \u00a0\u00a0Use this quick and easy calculator <\/a>to asses what your BMI is. \u00a0A normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. \u00a0A BMI of 25 – 29.9 is overweight and a BMI of 30+ is considered obese.<\/div>\n
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C-reactive Protein (us-CRP) Blood Test<\/strong><\/div>\n
If your C-reactive protein blood test levels are elevated, you most likely have an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, or more. \u00a0Have this test done to give you a better idea of your heart’s condition.<\/div>\n
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Cholesterol Levels<\/strong><\/div>\n
Cholesterol readings are simple to remember – just ensure you keep your total cholesterol below 200 mg\/dL. \u00a0Diving a little deeper, your LDL cholesterol, known as the “bad” cholesterol, should be less than 130 mg\/dL. \u00a0Your Triglycerides should be less than 150 mg\/dL.<\/div>\n
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Blood Pressure<\/strong><\/div>\n
Regularly monitor your \u00a0blood pressure to keep an eye for possible heart problems. \u00a0High blood pressure readings point to an increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. \u00a0 A normal blood pressure reading should be below 120\/80 mm\/Hg.<\/div>\n
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If you are not within the healthy range for any one of these tests, it should be a red flag\u00a0to get further doctor input as well as reassess your diet and\/or exercise plan. \u00a0Heart disease isn’t something that just happens, it happens over time, and left unchecked and unchanged, it could prove to be deadly.<\/div>\n
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The good news is that the BMI test and blood pressure monitoring can be done from home…or on the road. \u00a0You should check your BMI at least once a quarter to ensure it’s not increasing. \u00a0I have a scale <\/a>that tells me my weight and BMI every time I weigh myself…and it tracks it for me. \u00a0This is very helpful to identify trends.<\/div>\n
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\"Hearth<\/a><\/div>\n
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To check your blood pressure, you can now buy a simple digital wrist blood pressure monitor that can give your a blood pressure and heartbeat reading within 30 seconds. \u00a0I was excited to see that Walmart had many wrist blood pressure monitor choices<\/a>, many of them for under $30. \u00a0I found one online I wanted to try, the Advocate Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor<\/a> and it was only $19.99.<\/div>\n
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Because I chose the Walmart Site-to-Store option<\/a>, I didn’t need to pay for shipping and Walmart sent the wrist monitor to my local Walmart store for pick-up. \u00a0The process was super easy and I didn’t have to wait in line to pick up the monitor. \u00a0The Walmart.com site-to-store pick-up desk is in a different location than the always busy Customer Service desk.<\/div>\n
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The Advocate Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor came with a plastic case to keep it safe (and it also doubles as a wrist holder when measuring your blood pressure) as well as 2 AAA batteries. \u00a0It worked right away and gave me readings that are in line with readings I have had in the past. \u00a0It’s a great tool to have on hand (or wrist!). \u00a0I plan to regularly encourage my husband to check his blood pressure readings\u00a0too.<\/div>\n
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Take the time to keep your heart in check while making healthier choices that will extend your life and the lives of those you love. \u00a0Walmart.com has more\u00a0tips for staying healthier in this article, 10 Steps to a Healthy Heart<\/a>. \u00a0Here’s to good health!<\/div>\n
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\"walmart<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February is Heart Health Month – are you being true to your heart? Know the important number indicators and how your tests stack up to keep you on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[793,6,971,14,862],"tags":[2496,2792,2497,1937],"class_list":["post-15453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accessories","category-dads","category-health","category-moms","category-seniors","tag-blood-pressure-monitor","tag-health","tag-heart-disease","tag-walmart","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/p-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2015\/02\/Heart-Health-Month-2015-Main.png?fit=570%2C315&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}