Coach’s Corner

February is American Heart Month!

When you think of heart health you may only think of three things:  blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol. Visits to your doctor may confirm or diminish your concerns about the health of your heart. They may only be looking at taking care of the symptoms that show up as “out of range” numbers once you receive your labs.

I think this view is not nearly as expanded as it should be. There are so many factors that go into having a healthy heart, and you won’t get the complete picture by just having some blood tests run.

When we look at factors affecting the health of the heart we have to consider underlying causes:  “Emotional stress is a key risk factor for about one-third of heart attacks and strokes,” according to the results of the Interheart study (25,000 volunteers spanning 52 countries). “Stressors that are not effectively managed have direct internal implications by placing undue stress on the heart.” More from this article can be read at Dana.org.

Living with stress everyday is going to take a toll on the health of your heart, and depending on how you respond to the stress in your life it will make a difference. For some people the pressure of stress motivates them to reach their goals, meet their quotas and rise above. For others stress can shut down their ability to focus, to be productive and it brings on health issues over time.

What can we do about reducing stress?  Movement is critical and it doesn’t have to be with an all out intensity. Getting outside and walking in the fresh air and sunshine can be great for stress reduction. Meeting up with good friends for any type of outing whether is having a fun lunch together or going for a bike ride. Some friends and I just did this and ended up staying at the restaurant for 3 hours catching up and laughing with each other as we shared our latest experiences and stories. Playing music you love that incites feelings of joy or happiness interrupts your stress patterns and changes your “stress” state. Meditation is an option and there are many apps available so that you can find a meditation that fits you. Breath work is fundamental to calming us but also posture and health. And journaling can be beneficial to writing down the things that stress you and then letting them go.

Take this month of February and start establishing practices that help you to reduce your everyday stress. To improve your heart health and your labs, start evaluating what might be causing those numbers to be bad and make changes to improve them including reducing your day to day stress.

And if you need to move more and want to belong to a community that focuses on movement and heath then come

and join us at B-Fit!

Beverly Ivey

Owner, Holistic Health Coach