Fact: In the United States, more than one in three women lives with heart disease and every minute, one woman dies from some form of cardiovascular disease.1 In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women in this country.2

But small lifestyle changes can help keep our hearts healthy. In fact, getting fit doesn’t mean spending hours at the gym or eating bland and boring foods. Getting fit can be fun!

So here are five tips to keep your heart healthy:

  1. Pick an activity you enjoy that can get your heart rate up. Dancing to your favorite songs, bowling, and even shopping can count as exercise as long as you’re working up a sweat.3
  2. Ten is your golden number. Do some form of physical activity, such as walking on your lunch break, three times a day for ten minutes to help lower blood pressure.4
  3. Believe it or not, it’s not all about the cardio. Lifting weights, such as jars of tomato sauce while watching your guilty-pleasure show, can help improve your heart health, too.5
  4. Take time to de-stress and make exercise your go-to coping activity! Working out pumps up your feel-good endorphins as well as mind-body connections, so now is the time to take up yoga.6
  5. They say you are what you eat, so make sure your diet is nutritious. Mix up your meals with lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins.7

Making heart-healthy changes in our daily lives is can help reduce our risk of heart disease. If you’re concerned about your heart’s health, be sure to speak with your primary care doctor.

1. http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/9-amazing-facts-about-your-heart/

2. https://www.goredforwomen.org/live-healthy/heart-healthy-exercises/top-fitness-tips-for-getting-heart-healthy/

3. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/the-10-minute-workout-times-three/?_r=0

4. http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/4-week-weight-training-plan-women

5. http://www.womenheart.org/?page=Support_ManagingHD

6. http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/heart-healthy-eating.html

You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting any fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time during exercise, you should stop immediately.

This portion of the Teladoc website occasionally offers health, fitness and nutritional information and is provided solely for educational purposes only. You cannot rely on any information provided here as a substitute for or replacement of professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Teladoc cannot assure that the information contained on this site always includes the most recent findings or developments with respect to the particular subject matter covered.
If you ever have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.

If you are in the United States and think you are having a medical or health emergency, call your health care professional, or 911, immediately.

Health Talk, Women's Health