Stay on top of your heart health with the help of these 6 monitoring tools
February is Heart Health Month, a time to focus on your cardiovascular well-being and take steps to protect your heart. You can help prevent heart disease by managing factors like diet, exercise and sleep. Adding more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and nuts is an excellent path to a heart-healthy diet. So is limiting saturated and trans fats, added sugar and sodium.
Try exercising regularly – the American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Sleep is important for heart health because it allows your heart to rest and recover. If you are having trouble sleeping, these items can help improve your sleep routine.
The best defense against heart disease is prevention. Understanding the signs of heart disease, the risk factors, and how to check your heart health at home is a significant first step in improving your heart health. You can take steps at home to monitor your heart health.
Here are six items that can help you keep track of your blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate:
The 3D Tri-sport Walking 3D pedometer uses tri-accelerometer technology to measure steps accurately. This basic step counter is easy to set up and use and works in any position. You can wear it in your pocket, clip it to your waist, wear it around your neck on the included lanyard or even place it in your bag. It records steps (walking and running), distance, calories burned and exercise time. You can buy this pedometer in pink and on sale for $24.99 on Amazon.
Record how much physical activity you do and when you do strength exercises. This 12-week wellness journal from Papier is an excellent choice because it lets you track physical and mental health progress. Detailed daily pages include space for goals and intentions and space for tracking habits that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, like sleep and meals. This fitness log, $8.99 on Amazon, has space for 180 detailed entries.
Original price: $22.99
Use a heart rate monitor or check your pulse to see if your heart rate is regular. This pulse oximeter from Amazon clips onto your finger to track pulse rate and blood oxygen levels and conveniently displays the information on a large digital LED display. You can also easily monitor your heart rate while on the go with this Google Pixel watch, $100 from Walmart.
If you have diabetes, use a glucose meter to check your blood sugar levels. Contour Next One is a simple-to-use, budget-friendly meter that reads in five seconds. It also connects to an app to log and share readings with a doctor. The Metene TD-4116 Blood Glucose Monitor Kit, $34 on Amazon, is fast, easy to use and delivers accurate results according to reviews.
Use an over-the-counter kit to measure your cholesterol levels. The QuCare Complete is a home-based blood test kit that allows you to measure your total cholesterol level in your blood. The package contains enough materials to perform two separate tests. You can buy this at-home test from Amazon for $22.99.
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Use a blood pressure monitor to track your blood pressure. The OMRON Platinum Blood Pressure Monitor stores up to 200 readings for two users, with 100 readings per user. This Braun ExactFit 3 automatic blood pressure monitor, $55 at Walmart, takes measurements from the upper arm.
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