HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Crestwood Medical Center is gearing up for its twenty-eight-day 'Healthy Heart Challenge'.
Director of Marketing Lori Light said the challenge is a fun and informative way for people to get information about heart disease and how important it is for each of our daily lives. "You'll receive tips on lifestyle changes and what you can do to live a stronger and healthier life. What it is, is you'll get an email every day during the month of February. It'll be a short article on tips and advice on exercise, a healthy diet, and all the things that you do to have a healthy heart," Light explained.
Heart disease remains the number one threat to our health said Crestwood Medical Center Cardiologist, Dr. William Schneider. " It's the number one reason people die, and a lot of heart disease can be prevented through controlling the risk factors, through living a healthy lifestyle which including eating right and exercise," he said.
Staying up on your health, in general, is the best practice for preventing health disease. In addition, eating heart-healthy meals and exercising. "... And really, the best exercise is the one you enjoy doing the most. People run into trouble if they think of exercise as a chore. But, if you think of it as something fun to do, and rewarding, you get a lot more benefits out of it," Dr, Schneider stated.
Furthermore, there are a few risk factors for heart disease that you should be aware of. " High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking," he said.
However, the good news is that heart disease can be reversed. "With a treatment plan that you develop with your doctor as well as sticking to a heart-healthy lifestyle, including a good diet and a good exercise level," he expressed.
Overall, the most important thing is that you are checking in with your primary care physician on a regular basis. "It helps to have regular annual checkups with your primary care physician to know your numbers and be able to stay on top of the major risk factors," Dr. Schneider iterated.