February is American Heart Month and this morning I had the honor of joining TODAY to talk about how to be smart when it comes to your heart. There are 7 risk factors that anyone can improve through lifestyle changes, the connection between stress and heart health, as well as heart attack symptoms.

There are so many factors to keep your heart healthy. It’s made simpler with the 7 simple steps from the American Heart Association. 

Life’s Simple Seven: 

1. Behaviors: We already all know the damage smoking can cause. There should be no smoking. Absolutely none. Not even a puff. 

2. Exercise: The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise.

3. Diet: High in fiber, vegetables, fruits, nuts, olive oil, good fats. Cardiologists usually recommend The Mediterranean Diet which decreases heart disease. 

4. Blood Pressure: The numbers that are so critical. When the blood pressure is low it decreases the force on the arteries, the heart, and the kidneys. It’s actually one of the most important markers to get low to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. We want that number to be less than 120 over 80.

5. Cholesterol: Then we go to Cholesterol, which is a really important factor in heart attacks and stroke. We want that number less than 200 MG/DL 

6. Sugars: Sugars we know to go up in diabetes but even slightly elevated sugars can be damaging to your heart. So you’ve got to go to your doctor and get it checked, A hemoglobin A1C of less than 5.7 is what we’re looking for.

7. Weight: The last one is weight. Now when we talk about weight, a lot of time we’ve spoken about body mass index but now we are going to talk about waist circumference because that in itself can increase the chance of cardiovascular disease. In women waist circumference should be less than 35 inches, in men less than 40 inches. 

The connection between stress and heart health. 

For the past two years, we’ve all been under immense stress, it’s toxic. There is that good stress, you know, the skiers at the top of the mountain in the Olympics, that’s great. But that bad stress that’s chronic increases inflammation and increases the potential for cardiovascular disease so having stress management every day is critical. 

A few things I recommend to manage stress are: 

• Meditation

• Yoga 

• Breathing Exercises

• Laughter

• Physical contact

• Social support 

Even though we want to be as proactive as possible with preventative measures, we must also be prepared and be aware of heart attack symptoms so we can act quickly in getting help. 

In men, we have the classic Hollywood symptoms, extreme pressure on your chest, chest pressure radiating down your left arm, and sweating. 

But in women it could be slightly more subtle and different: 

• Vomiting 

• Sweating

• Flu-Like Symptoms

• Jaw Pain

• Back Pain

• Shortness of Breath 

• Nausea

There’s so much to know, don’t feel overwhelmed. 

Here are 4 quick things to keep in mind:

1. 80% of the time heart disease is preventable. 

2. Know your numbers, talk to your doctor.

3. Talk to your family: do you have a family history? If you do, you're at risk.

4. Do ONE thing a day to get yourself healthier and keep going. 

You can do it.

One thing at a time. Your heart will love you for it.