When you’re in the thick of things with a baby or young children (or both!), heart health probably never comes into your mind. Instead you’re wondering who needs to be picked up and when, whether you forgot something at work or at the grocery store, or whether you left enough time at the end of the day for a healthy meal which, oftentimes, you’ll be making yourself. Being a tightly-wound sort of person myself and a mom of three, I sometimes feel utterly manic while I keep 43 balls in the air and attempt to be a superhero. Bringing things down a notch in order to pay attention to myself is pretty damn impossible when it seems like everything comes down to me.
But for one big reason, I need to pay more attention: Cardiovascular failure and stroke are huge threats to my health, because heart disease is the number one cause of death in the USA. And most of the time, it’s preventable. Preventable! We can fix this! So here’s what you can do for your heart today, right now, to ensure long lasting health and wellness.
Get some sleep. You’re probably going, “Suuuure, I’ll just go lay down for a bit,” while scoffing into your third coffee of the day. I get it; if sleep is as elusive for you right now as it is for me, suggesting that we go take naps is laughable. But despite the impediments at this stage of life, it’s not an unworthy pursuit to try and prioritize rest more. When the family is in bed, you generally should be too.
Calm down. Most of us have a cymbal monkey stumbling around in our overburdened, over-analytical mind much of the time. Keep your blood pressure down and your heart protected by intentionally downshifting as often as you can. Breathe. Hug. Check out. Put in your earbuds and visualize yourself in tranquility.
Eat real food. Good eating habits have a lot of moving parts. You need to cook at home, which means you need to shop carefully and mindfully, which means you need to make shopping lists, which takes time. Time, time, more time. Cooking is hard and I personally will admit to a real and deep loathing for dinner-gathering (did you know that you have to answer the “what’s for dinner” question EVERY DAY? ugh!), but we should all keep practicing. It’s essential. (Side note: I am utterly exasperated with this problem and have recently sprung for a weekly dinner menu and pre-made shopping list subscription service. We’ll see how it goes!)
Exercise. It’s almost a certainty that you need more exercise than you’re getting, but there are a great number of stumbling blocks especially during these cold months. Have you considered the YMCA though? You get two hours of free child care every day (!!!) and can spend that time getting the vital heart-pumping movement your body needs.
Drink less. Another weak spot in my world, I’ve recently had to ask myself what I’m really looking for when I reach for the wine. Escape? Release? A silencing of the endless loop of to-do’s in my head? Usually it’s all of the above, but despite the attraction of an evening nightcap, I know I won’t find what I’m looking for at the bottom of that glass. Alcohol is objectively bad for you and your heart.
Own your genetics. If your family history includes high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol or heart attack, recognize and accept that you’ll likely need to work harder than others to stay in good health. That means more frequent check-ups with your provider, more careful dietary management, and a broader understanding of your own personal risk factors. Give yourself grace though; you cannot live like a monk, and no one expects you to. But committing to small changes can make a really big difference.
Stay on top of it. Know your important numbers (cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar) and schedule regular visits with healthcare professionals to manage them. Think about yourself. Live long and prosper!
Shelley DeWees is a three-time Willow client who spends her days chasing a preschooler son and toddler daughter around her (new!) house in South St Paul. Her third addition, another boy, is almost seven months old and recently learned how to implement volume level ten. (Cover your ears!) Shelley also loves going to workout classes and is an avid reader.