A Healthy Weight Promotes Heart and Foot Health
Look around you in the month of February – do you see red? If so, it may be because it’s National Heart Month! People wear red to encourage themselves and others to take good care of their hearts. Keeping your weight in a healthy range is one of the best ways to celebrate heart health. And here’s the added benefit from our perspective at Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland: maintaining a healthy weight also helps prevent foot problems.
Here are some ideas to help you lose weight and/or prevent unwanted weight gain:
- Get your daily dose of exercise. Find an activity that you like and stick with it. You may not like running and jogging, but maybe you could join a swim team. Is the gym not your thing? Take dance lessons or grab a friend and walk the track at the local high school.
- Sleep more. Recent studies have shown that it may be harder to lose weight if you’re not getting enough sleep at night. Changing your sleep habits can boost your metabolism and help you avoid mindless snacking during the day. Aim for 7-8 hours a night.
- Be accountable for what you eat by writing it down. Keeping a food journal can reveal many things such as sugar cravings at a certain time of day or the number of servings you ate.
- Re-design your plate. Fill half of your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein, and one-quarter with whole grains. Eat a variety of foods and experiment with new ones. Never had fiber-rich whole wheat pasta, kohlrabi, or salmon? Give them a try.
Both your heart and your feet are happier when they don’t have to support extra pounds. Interestingly, people of all shapes and sizes can find clues to their heart health through their feet. For more information about the heart-foot connection and all our podiatry services available to Summit, Portage, Geauga, and Cuyahoga county residents, call us at (440) 903-1041. You may also request an appointment online with Dr. Megan L. Oltmann or Dr. Craig B. Frey at our office in Solon, Ohio.
