Self-Care for Heart Health

By Amy Fiala, RN and Jennifer Mount, RN

As nurses, we spend a lot of our time caring for others that finding time to care for ourselves can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! Dedicating some time every day to take care of yourself can lead to big progress toward protecting the health of your heart and reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

“Practicing self-care can keep our hearts healthy. Being physically active, eating healthier foods, getting enough sleep, not smoking, and finding healthy ways to reduce stress can help prevent heart disease. And, when we take care of our hearts, we set an example for those around us to do the same”, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

To help you get started, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute developed some self-care ideas for every day of the week:

Self-care Sunday: Set aside time to look at your week’s schedule and create your self-care checklist for the week. Examples include scheduling your bedtime to get at least seven hours of sleep, planning a heart-healthy meal, and scheduling a 30-minute walk with a friend.

Mindful Monday: Know your numbers! Monitor your blood pressure and other heart health stats such as weight. Don’t know them? Schedule a visit with your doctor.

Tasty Tuesday: Prepare a tasty, heart-healthy meal, or try the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, which includes fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, lean meats, beans, nuts, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.

Wellness Wednesday: Make your wellness routine a priority. Move more, prepare healthier meals, get more sleep, find time to de-stress, learn to say “no”, and come back here every Wednesday for more health and wellness information.

Treat Yourself Thursday: Treat yourself to a long walk, a hot bath, a few minutes of meditation, a funny show, or a new pair of running shoes.

Follow Friday: Surround yourself with people who inspire you to keep your heart healthy. Start by following #OurHearts on social media. Social support networks can make it easier for you to get regular physical activity, eat heart-healthy foods, lose weight, reduce stress, and quit smoking.

Selfie Saturday: This is your chance to inspire others! Post at least one thing you did this week to take care of yourself and your heart on your favorite social media site.