FISHERSVILLE, Va. (WHSV) – Doctors at Augusta Health say heart health can dictate the quality and length of someone’s life, and nutrition and fitness play a role too.
The American Heart Association recommends people take a step back in their life and see what they’re consuming. The organization said the food someone eats can dictate what quality of life they have.
Some simple diet changes AHA encouraged people to make are:
A wide variety of fruits and vegetablesWhole grainsHealthy proteinsMinimally processed foodLow sodium options
Sara Speet, a registered dietician at Augusta Health, said the hospital has seen a patient turn around their life and improve the quality of it through nutritional differences. Also, Speet said changes to diet don’t have to be a complete switch-up.
“If they’re spending their money on [vegetables], then we want them to like it,” Speet said. “We talk through different cooking methods, like if it’s cooked in a soup, can we hide it in the soup? Can we incorporate it with pasta sauce?”
Speet emphasized how important it was for people to slowly integrate diet changes to help it stick. She said taking a diet change one step at the time can help build habits and make it feel more natural, rather than switching everything at once. Speet said people who make drastic diet changes find it tough to continue with a habit, especially when faced with cravings.
On the flip side, Augusta Health said fitness is important to maintaining a healthy heart as well.
Meghan Shifflett, the supervisor for cardiopulmonary rehab at Augusta Health, said exercising help activate the heart and put less strain on the body during the course of someone’s life. She said 20 minutes a day, every day can make more of an impact than people realize.
Shifflett also explained how exercise looks different for everyone. She said people who live entirely different lives can find pockets of time to incorporate exercise, making it feel achievable rather than some lengthy goal.
“The great thing about it is that you don’t necessarily have to do the 20 minutes all at once. You can break it up if that feels better for your day,” Shifflett said. ”I know a lot of people are interested in reading a book or watching TV. You can easily find sitting or standing activities while you do those things to get your exercise in.”
Both Speet and Shifflett said setting realistic goals can help make healthy living a reality. If someone is sedentary and wants to become more active, Shifflett said people should consider working out a few days a week at lower intensity and build their way up to higher intensities and more workouts.
For diets, Speet recommended people make one change at a time and stick with it for a week or two, then make another change. They both said the slower you make changes, the more likely the habit will stick.
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