Looking After My Heart Health This Winter

Winter is on it's way... earlier nights and slower mornings. Everything slows down in my world in winter and sometimes I think it slows down too much. This winter I have decide to stay on top of my heart health more than I have in previous winters. This includes staying on top of good habits. 

In winter, I find that it is easy to settle down with some snacks and watch a movie or read book. It is much easier than getting up and going for a walk or making a salad plate for snack. It's easier to reach for some comfort food and ignore what must be done. However, when taking care of your heart health, this is not ideal.

Winter walks

Working out is usually the first thing to go when the cooler months come along. Autumn is still lovely and it is lovely to walk around swishing your feet between all the fallen leaves. I love how Autumn always shows us how letting go of things can be beautiful too. Then winter comes along and teaches us to rest, and in spring we sprout again, rested and ready for the new season of growth. 

I take rest very seriously, including taking it slower in the winter. I find that it is better to hit maintenance on fitness, rather than stop totally. Restarting in the warmer months is more stressful and so much harder on my body. So this year we are doing things differently. I am going to keep walking this winter. I have settled on maintenance steps of between 8 - 10k steps per day. These could be stepped while in my kitchen or out and walking through the park. On bad weather days, I am willing to go walk in the mall with some music. If there weather is really dismal I will be pacing my apartment and looking up some low impact, heart-friendly workouts.

Health eating

Healthy eating in warmer months is so much easier for me. I do not crave comfort food. We love loading up on salads and fruits and bright color foods. Winter, however, brings out the inner snack monster in me and she is almost insatiable. This is something that I have to keep a tight handle on while I try and manage my weight and get my health under control. It is also important for me to model good health habits for my daughter, in teaching her to take care of her heart health from a young age.

My greatest hack for winter is light, healthy, and nutritious soup. This is my favorite way to eat my colors and make sure that I am getting all the minerals and vitamins in. Chicken and vegetable is the way to go for me. I make sure I use heart-friendly spices and ingredients. We freeze these in single portions, so there is always a good healthy snack
or meal on hand.

Mental health

Looking after my mental health is at the core of most things I do. For with a sound and balanced mind and heart, I am able to stay on top of everything else. I am less likely to fall into bad habits and generally just feel better and more confident. 

Taking care of my mental health comes in various forms. I stay on top of my meetings with my therapist. If the weather is horrid, we are inclined to have an online video chat session. I make an effort to spend time with people who are good for me and I keep practicing mindfulness, and/or meditation.

Health check ups

Stay on top of your appointments, and if you regularly check your heart rate and/or blood pressure keep at it. It's important to keep going to cardiologist and other doctor's appointments. And a good tip is to make sure you have enough medication that you can stay in when the weather when it is really harsh out.

Winter with heart failure

Take it easy and be kind to yourself. Winter is not always easy. Rest when you must, listen to your body, and reach out to your healthcare providers if you have any concerns.

How do you continue heart-healthy habits in the winter season? Do you have tips for other people with heart failure or caregivers? Share with us in the comments below.