Paul Ryan promotes being heart-healthy
Last month was heart month in the U.S.—a reminder for men and women to adopt heart-healthy lifestyles by making small, yet significant changes. Heart disease in particular is a cause close to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s heart. Ryan lost his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather to heart disease—all three passed before their 60th birthdays. As a result, Ryan is committed to a heart-healthy diet and works on maintaining a healthy lifestyle every day. The former vice-presidential candidate took to Twitter yesterday to remind his followers that the key to a healthy heart is regular exercise and a good diet:
Major to a healthy heart: prioritizing a good diet & regular exercise, no matter how busy we are. https://t.co/BqtVv9Mgxb
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) 1 March 2016
According to Million Hearts, an initiative that aims to prevent heart attacks and strokes through improved access to effective care, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack once every 43 seconds, and one American dies from a stroke every four minutes. Million Hearts aims to educate people on how to embrace a heart-healthy lifestyle by focusing attention on heart attack and stroke prevention. The initiative also provides tips on how to set goals—something that is especially important since it can be difficult to fit in daily exercise and healthy eating when life gets hectic.
Tips for goal-setting include:
- Set goals that are realistic and that can actually be accomplished.
- Set goals that mean something to you, or you will be less likely to see them through.
- Set both long-term goals (for the next year) and short-term goals (for the next few months).
- Write your goals down. Putting them down on paper will make you more accountable to yourself.
- Review your goals with your healthcare professional.
Remember—adopting a heart-healthy diet is imperative toward reducing illness and death from stroke and heart attack.
Sources Used in Today’s Article:
Paul Ryan. Twitter post. February 29, 2016;
https://twitter.com/SpeakerRyan/status/704460580237811713.
“For Speaker Ryan, Heart Health Is Personal,” Office of the Speaker of the House web site; February 29, 2016; http://www.speaker.gov/general/speaker-ryan-heart-health-personal/, last accessed March 1, 2016.
“Healthy is Strong My Personal Health Progress,” Million Hearts web site; http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/files/HIS_My_Health_Progress.pdf, last accessed March 1, 2016.
