Why You Should Care About American Heart Month

Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women? I didn’t. I don’t know what I thought it was but when my coach at the gym said this and then I followed it up by checking out the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; it honestly shook me a little.

Here is why I think it shook me.

I sit. A lot. While I would categorize my life as busy, my busy life includes a whole lot of sitting. My job consists of sitting most of the day at my desk or in meetings. Sometimes I walk to various conference rooms for meetings, but a lot of my meetings are held remotely, leaving me to just stay seated at my desk taking zero steps from one meeting to another.

On days when I work from home, the only steps I get are those taken when I go to the kitchen or to the bathroom. On a good day I will take a 20-minute walk mid-day but my schedule usually doesn’t leave many gaps, so this is not something that happens often.

My after-work hours are filled with, you guessed it; more sitting. My husband and I divide and conquer often driving our two kids to and from various sports practices or church groups. On weekends I often sit at games or swim meets.

I have always had more of a desk job versus a job that keeps me on my feet. But when my kids were little, I felt like my after-work hours were filled with movement. Playing with the kids, being on the floor with them, chasing after them. Memory could be serving me incorrectly, but I think my life years ago consisted of more steps per day. I was also younger and could argue that maybe I also had more energy so I did things like two workout classes in one day on days where I could. I cannot recall the last time I did that.

The older my kids get it appears the more sitting I am doing.

The reason my coach at the gym mentioned heart disease being prevalent in women is because February is American Heart Month. A big part of that is causing awareness which she clearly did well in striking a chord in me.

There are things I do that are helping lower my risk. I have stuck to my commitment to work out early three days/week and I am aiming for four. I wake up at 4:33am, because somehow mentally this is better than a 4:30am alarm. I take a 60-minute class at 5am that gets my heart pounding every single time.

Here is something that also shook me. I monitored my steps on days where I work out, and, because my day involves so much sitting, I still don’t hit 10,000 steps on average. 10,000 is what the recommended steps per day is. This is frustrating but also a good dose of reality. I am proud of myself on the days I work out but also know that I should take opportunities to get more steps in when I can.

If your days seem to involve a lot of sitting or you have picked up bad habits due to days being stressful, I encourage you to think about this month of heart awareness and things you could start doing differently. Here are a few ideas

Get moving more. Note I didn’t say run a ½ marathon or aim to work out seven days a week. Just move more than you are currently. For me, this is going to mean adding in some quick walks either during my day or at some point after work. Maybe it means walking around the building when my kids are at practice instead of sitting in my car when I arrive to pick them up. Just moving a little more each day is something I am going to commit to.

Track your movement. You don’t have to have a fancy apple watch to do this. I don’t. I have a decade old fit bit but it still works. Most phones also have step trackers on them. Tracking gives you actual data to then educate yourself on changes you might need to make.

Sleep. Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke (cdc.gov). I am good at ensuring I go to bed at a reasonable hour, but it takes a lot of discipline and often setting those expectations with your family. I am lucky that my husband stays up later so after our youngest is in bed, it’s lights out for me most nights too. My 13-year-old stays up later but my husband ensures he does call it a night eventually.

No smoking and limit or eliminate alcohol– Another way to increase your risk is by smoking or excessive drinking. Check out cdc.gov if you need resources for support.

Healthy eating choices. This one can be hard for me. Particularly when I don’t plan-ahead. Tracking food on free apps like My Fitness Pal can help with accountability but I find it really had to consistently track. Instead, I will do so every once in a while, as a reminder of just how fast a handful of jelly beans here and there actually adds up. For busy moms like you and I, it’s challenging to not grab fast food sometimes. But make it a sometimes versus most the time. Start somewhere even if it’s just a small improvement.

Slow down on excuses. Don’t challenge yourself to stop making excuses, just limit them. As busy moms, those excuses are often reasons we legit cannot do something. I may say I cannot do a lunch walk every day and work is my excuse. This is mostly true. But I can make it work sometimes so I can slow down on the excuse by making a change on some days just not all days.

Don’t set unrealistic goals. I am not going to say I will start eating a bag of spinach every day or that I will always get 10,000 steps in. I know I am not going to follow through on either of those. Set goals that are achievable so you can feel good about yourself, not torn down.

The reason is YOU. This is corny and I know that but honestly sometimes when I am jogging at the gym, which is physically challenging and I always want to stop, I will look at myself in the mirror and say in my head “this is for you”. It mentally reminds me I am there for myself. By doing these things for you, you are also doing them for your family.

Happy American Heart Month!