February is American Heart Month, a time to commit to a heart-healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about heart disease. Making a bigger effort to improve your heart health doesn’t need to cost you any money. There are plenty of things you can do for free, starting today.
Get checked out. You can get your blood pressure taken for free at a number of pharmacy stores, including CVS, Walgreens and Wal-Mart. Most will have a blood pressure machine available inside the store where you can spend a few minutes checking your blood pressure. Of course, this isn’t a substitute for regular doctor visits and exams — but it can help you keep an eye on it in between visits.
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Wear red. The first Friday in February is National Wear Red Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about women and heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women each year. To join the conversation, simply wear something red on Feb. 3. To take it a step further, create a fundraising page through Go Red for Women. The AHA says that 80 percent of cardiac and stroke events may be prevented with education and action, so your participation can make a difference.
Move more. If you want to increase your daily physical activity but aren’t ready to spring for a wearable pedometer, download a free app on your mobile phone. There are plenty available. In fact, iPhone owners already have a built-in iOS app called Health that you can use to monitor daily steps and flights climbed. Health also recommends other apps for fitness, heart health, calorie counting and nutrition, sleep activity and mindfulness.
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Relieve your stress. Stress is a likely contributor to heart disease risk, especially since it can affect various risky behaviors, including overeating, physical inactivity and smoking. If you can reduce your stress, you are less likely to expose your body to certain risk factors. Fortunately, there are plenty of free ways to try reducing stress.
Yoga is perhaps one of the best known practices for combating many of these risks, as it has been said to calm your mind, boost circulation, lower blood pressure and much more. You don’t even need to attend classes to practice yoga, as there are tons of free videos on YouTube from experts.
Another stress-relieving activity that you can try is meditation with a free app like Headspace. Or simply read up on meditation tips and guidelines, and then put on some relaxing background music to cut out distractions. For something fun, “adult coloring” is a trend that started in recent years, giving adults an excuse to kick back and engage in an easy and therapeutic activity. Search for printable coloring sheets online to try it out for free.
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Cook your way to a healthy heart. Start cooking heart-healthy recipes at home and know what ingredients to focus on. The AHA recommends a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes and nontropical vegetable oils. Follow along with food blogs and websites that place an emphasis on heart-healthy cooking, or find recipes for free on the AHA’s website.
Get away or take a staycation. Here’s an easy one to try: Use all of your vacation days. Even if you don’t book an actual trip, use those days for a staycation or to take a mental health day for yourself. It’s important to have time set aside from work to rest and recharge, which can help keep stress and unhealthy behaviors at bay.
Get your sleep. Make sure that you get enough sleep. If you’re wondering how many hours of sleep you need a night, it varies from person to person, but the National Sleep Foundation recommends between seven and nine hours for adults. There are many benefits to getting enough sleep, including improved energy and better eating habits. For better quality sleep, limit your caffeine in the afternoons, power down electronics an hour before bed and try to keep the same bedtime each night.
Hopefully, these tips will help you start some heart-healthy behaviors that last long beyond the month of February.
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Heart-Healthy Activities That Won’t Bust Your Budget originally appeared on usnews.com
