Health

Are You One of the 12% Who Regularly Practice Healthy Habits?

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Are you one of the many Americans not practicing healthy habits? A recent American Heart Association survey reports that only 12 percent of American adults regularly practice all of these healthy habits: good nutrition, exercise and oral care. Of those that listed an excuse for not following through with healthy habits, the most common culprit is said to be a lack of time.

Health Behaviors Not Practiced Regularly

The survey showed that among American adults, two health behaviors not practiced regularly are identified with improving cardiovascular health:

  • 80 percent say eating at least 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily is a struggle;
  • About 60 percent say it is difficult to get the American Heart Association’s recommended levels of exercise — at least 150 minutes every week of moderate physical activity such as brisk walking.

The survey also showed that 25 percent aren’t regularly practicing a healthy oral care routine – brushing and rinsing twice daily and flossing at least once daily.

My Heart. My Life.™ Health Initiative

A positive aspect of the survey shows that 90 percent of Americans are in the mindset to improve their health. You can begin to improve on your health by making and maintaining healthy habits with help from the American Heart Association’s healthy living initiative, My Heart. My Life. Through My Heart. My Life.’s simple set of solutions that focus on improving nutrition, physical activity and children’s health, the American Heart Association is working to help individuals and families understand how to make incremental changes for a substantial long-term health impact.

Steps that Contribute to an Overall Healthier Lifestyle

“Whether it is simply adding a 30-minute brisk walk to your day, eating a few more fruits and vegetables with your meals, balancing your calories and physical activity to achieve a healthy body weight or creating routine oral care habits – it all contributes to an overall healthier lifestyle,” said Tracy Stevens, M.D., American Heart Association spokesperson and professor of medicine – cardiologist with Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants in Kansas City, Missouri.

There is so much you can do, and it’s not nearly as hard as you might think to get started. Visit www.heart.org/myheartmylife and discover the tools and resources the association offers. From Teaching Gardens and the Simple Cooking with Heart program to the association’s Walking Clubs, Walking Paths and Heart Walks, there is something easy for you and your family to adopt as a healthy habit.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke — America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. To learn more about heart disease, stroke or any of the 2012 American Heart Association events, please call 913-652-1913, or visit us online at www.heart.org/KC.