HD PHYSICAL THERAPY Celebrates American Heart Month

WAKEFIELD, Mass. - Feb. 24, 2016 - PRLog -- Heart disease and stroke are the first and fifth leading causes of death in the United States. Every 43 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack, many of them fatal. On average, one American dies from stroke every 4 minutes. This February, during American Heart Month, Million Hearts® is challenging men to start one new, heart-healthy behavior. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, and African American men are disproportionately affected more by heart disease than other races or ethnicities.

Simple changes can make a big difference! Here are some ideas for getting started:

·       Talk to your doctor about ways to control high blood pressure

·       Make healthy eating swaps, including reducing salt intake

·       Quit smoking

·       Add physical activity to your daily routine.

Making regular physical activity part of your lifestyle is one of the most effective ways to improve your heart health. Physical activity can improve heart health by reducing high blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, decreasing risk for stroke, controlling weight and obesity, helping to manage type 2 diabetes and limiting metabolic syndrome. Even for people who have heart disease, physical activity can result in a healthier and longer life.

If you want to improve your physical fitness, but you find the idea of exercise overwhelming, it may help you to know exercise and physical activity are not the same thing—yet both are beneficial to your health.

Exercise is a physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful.  Physical activity includes any body movement that contracts your muscles to burn more calories than your body would normally do so just to exist at rest. Although learning to enjoy and plan structured exercise into your routine would definitely improve fitness, it is not the only way to improve fitness. Everyday physical activities such as performing housework, walking, or taking a hike keep your body moving and still count toward the recommended amount of weekly physical activity.

However, changing your lifestyle can seem overwhelming, even when you know to make only one or two changes at a time. It can be especially difficult to determine how to get started, or which change to make first. If you need more help getting started, you may benefit from working with a licensed physical therapist. Studies show that physical therapy practices are excellent avenues for promoting a physically active lifestyle and could potentially play an important public health role. With Direct Access (which means a person can visit a physical therapist directly to seek a personalized health evaluation), more and more people are using physical therapy for preventative care to help them stay healthy.

But, before getting started, you should always speak to your doctor before you change, start or stop any part of your healthcare plan, including physical activity or exercise. Reading health and exercise information online may be helpful, but it cannot replace the professional diagnosis and treatment you might need from a qualified healthcare professional.

Million Hearts® is a national initiative with an ambitious goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services co-lead the initiative on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

At HD Physical Therapy, ADVANCE Magazine's 2013 ‘Best PT Practice Contest’ silver medalist & the Wakefield Lynnfield Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Business of the Year, we are committed to the health and happiness of our patients. Everyday we work to restore each person's maximal function with consistency and compassion. Offering distinctive, inventive and proven rehabilitation treatment, our devoted professionals strive to deliver a successful and enjoyable experience to every patient we meet. HDPT proudly serves the communities of Wakefield, Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, Lynnfield, Saugus, Melrose, Peabody, Stoneham, the North Shore, and Essex County, Massachusetts. For more information about HD Physical Therapy, please call 781-587-0776, or visit www.HDPTonline.com.