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February is Heart Health Awareness Month
The Psychology of Heart-Healthy Behavior
Caring for your heart can sometimes feel like a trade-off between long-term health and short-term happiness. Who wants to live forever if you can’t eat, drink and binge-watch old sitcoms? However, doctors say practicing heart-healthy habits doesn’t have to mean giving up the good life.
The catch is that overindulging is all too easy, especially when we’re under stress. “Heart health is more psychological in nature than other conditions,” Dr. Bradley Artel, MD, FACC, FASE, a cardiologist and Aetna medical director acknowledges. “Eating well is not about reading labels. It’s about keeping in mind where you’ll be 20 years from now.”
In fact, it’s not unusual for cardiologists to refer patients to a psychologist for help getting the mind and body aligned. Keep reading to learn what scientific research has to say about motivation, decision-making, and maintaining heart-healthy habits. This holistic approach to good heart health could help you stick to your diet and exercise plan with less effort and more satisfaction.
- When you’re tempted to blow your diet…
o Making healthy choices sets up a positive feedback loop. We soon realize that forgoing treats is not that tough, and actually feels better than indulging. Studies show that a healthy diet can lower your risk of heart attack by 50 percent.
- When you think just one cigarette won’t hurt…
o That image of future you paying the consequences ― or worse, your loved ones ― is a powerful motivator. If cigarettes are your weakness, quitting is a must. Smoking is the number one controllable risk factor for heart attack.
- When you’re losing too many hours to screen time...
o The media can fuel stress by reinforcing unrealistic expectations of what our homes, bodies, and lives should look like. Turn off the TV, computer, and phone, then devote the time you save to exercise, cooking, face-to-face socializing, and sleeping. Your stress levels will nosedive.
Many people take their heart for granted, until they have a health crisis. That’s because heart disease, the leading cause of death for Americans, often presents no symptoms. See your doctor to find out your risk. Then get help making lifestyle changes. By eating well, drinking sensibly, not smoking and getting regular exercise, you can cut your risk of heart attack by 80 percent.
For information about the psychology of heart health behavior, visit here.
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