February is heart health awareness month in the U.S., a good time to remember that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for men and women.  Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help prevent heart disease, and it all starts with living a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Read Up and Get Your Check Up

Heart healthy living begins with education and prevention, which includes getting your preventive checkups and understanding your risks for developing heart disease. In your exam, your doctor will check your blood pressure and cholesterol — two key indicators of heart disease.

Eat Healthy, Exercise and Watch Your Weight

These go hand in hand. If you exercise regularly and eat a diet low in saturated fat which includes lots of vegetables and fruits, that’s a good start. These steps will help you manage your weight and prevent obesity, which is major contributing cause of heart disease.

Don’t Ignore Your Genes

Even if you live healthy, heart disease can run in your family, so it’s always good to get checkups and read up on all the information you can, so you can be proactive and make good choices about your care. Regular checkups are a must for all of us, regardless of lifestyle.

Manage Your Stress

Stress can contribute to high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors. We all experience stress at times, but chronic stress can lead to health issues like heart disease. Finding healthy ways to manage your stress, like exercise, meditation or relaxation techniques, will help with heart health and prevention.

Get Good Sleep

Not getting enough sleep or good-quality sleep over time can raise your risk for chronic health problems like heart disease. Make sure you get plenty of quality sleep every night (about 8 hours) to allow your body a chance to rest and recover.

Check out the resources available on the My Journey page on YourTransoceanBenefits.com to help you with lifestyle changes to ensure a healthy heart. You can also visit the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute and the American Heart Association to learn more about heart health, this month and every month.

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