WEBVTT 00:00:00.970 --> 00:00:04.230 Hey there everyone and welcome back to the Senior 00:00:04.230 --> 00:00:07.530 Safety Advice Podcast. I'm really glad that you're 00:00:07.530 --> 00:00:10.410 here with me today because this month, February, 00:00:10.650 --> 00:00:13.589 is Heart Health and Emotional Resilience Month. 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:17.050 So today I thought we would talk about some small 00:00:17.050 --> 00:00:20.390 habits that can help to protect your heart health. 00:00:20.929 --> 00:00:23.269 And I want to start with something that surprises 00:00:23.269 --> 00:00:27.170 a lot of people. Heart health isn't built in 00:00:27.170 --> 00:00:30.539 the doctor's office. It's built in the quiet 00:00:30.539 --> 00:00:34.560 moments of your everyday life. The little choices 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.539 that you make throughout the day, the small routines, 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:41.240 the habits that don't feel dramatic at all but 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:44.960 are done on a consistent basis. And honestly, 00:00:45.179 --> 00:00:48.100 that's really good news because it means that 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:51.119 you don't have to overhaul your whole life to 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:54.060 protect your heart. You don't necessarily have 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:57.200 to run marathons and you don't necessarily have 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.119 to eat perfectly. Let's be honest, who does eat 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:04.099 perfectly? You just need a few steady habits 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:07.159 that support your body instead of stressing it. 00:01:07.540 --> 00:01:10.379 And I've seen this over and over again, especially 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:14.260 with older adults and caregivers. I'm Esther 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:17.599 Kane, a retired occupational therapist and currently 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:20.859 a certified aging in place specialist. For years 00:01:20.859 --> 00:01:23.459 I've worked with older adults who were in rehabilitation 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:27.000 because of some cardiac issue, either recovery 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.939 from some cardiac surgery or they were fighting 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:33.819 a chronic cardiac condition. Both of these issues 00:01:33.819 --> 00:01:36.500 could have been prevented or at the very least 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:39.640 reduced if they had just followed some simple 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:44.719 tasks on a consistent basis. Now the people who 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:48.879 do the best aren't the ones who do the most necessarily. 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:53.280 They're the ones doing the simplest things consistently. 00:01:53.540 --> 00:01:56.299 Now I've used that word three times already because 00:01:56.299 --> 00:01:58.980 I want to emphasize that the important thing 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:03.280 here is to be consistent. So let's talk about 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:06.180 what that really looks like. One of the most 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:08.979 powerful habits for heart health is how you start 00:02:08.979 --> 00:02:12.689 your day. It's not what you eat first or not 00:02:12.689 --> 00:02:16.210 how much coffee you drink, but how rushed you 00:02:16.210 --> 00:02:19.729 feel. When mornings are frantic, the body stays 00:02:19.729 --> 00:02:23.669 tense and the heart tends to work harder. I've 00:02:23.669 --> 00:02:26.490 noticed that even slowing down by five minutes 00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:31.069 makes a big difference. So sitting before you 00:02:31.069 --> 00:02:35.050 stand, taking a few slow breaths, letting your 00:02:35.050 --> 00:02:39.389 feet touch the floor before you move. That calm 00:02:39.389 --> 00:02:44.870 carries forward. Your heart loves calm. Another 00:02:44.870 --> 00:02:48.129 small habit that protects heart health is gentle, 00:02:48.310 --> 00:02:52.870 regular movement. Not necessarily intense workouts 00:02:52.870 --> 00:02:56.909 or pushing through pain. It's not, what was the 00:02:56.909 --> 00:03:00.870 phrase? No gain without pain, something like 00:03:00.870 --> 00:03:05.310 that. That's not for your heart. Just movement 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:09.229 that feels doable. walking around the house, 00:03:09.909 --> 00:03:12.849 stretching while holding onto the counter, standing 00:03:12.849 --> 00:03:17.110 up and sitting down a few extra times. I've watched 00:03:17.110 --> 00:03:19.610 people lower their blood pressure just by moving 00:03:19.610 --> 00:03:23.370 a little more often. Not necessarily longer, 00:03:23.770 --> 00:03:27.689 just more often throughout the day. And you can 00:03:27.689 --> 00:03:31.530 even set a timer so that every 30 minutes or 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:34.530 20 minutes or whatever works for you, you get 00:03:34.530 --> 00:03:38.580 up and walk around. Here's something important. 00:03:39.259 --> 00:03:43.060 Your heart doesn't care how fancy the movement 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:47.900 is. It just wants circulation. Even short bursts 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:51.580 help. Another habit that matters more than people 00:03:51.580 --> 00:03:55.680 realize is hydration. When the body is dehydrated, 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:59.360 the blood thickens and the heart has to work 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:03.180 harder. A lot of seniors, a lot of older adults 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:06.360 simply forget to drink, or they avoid fluids 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:08.879 because they don't want to have to get up to 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:12.400 use the bathroom. I get it, I get it. But even 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:15.780 a few sips throughout the day support heart function. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:19.860 One of the best tips I can tell you is when you 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:23.740 wake up in the morning, have at least one eight 00:04:23.740 --> 00:04:27.040 ounce glass of water before you have anything 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:29.800 else, before you eat your breakfast, before you 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:33.029 drink your coffee. Just an eight ounce glass 00:04:33.029 --> 00:04:34.949 of water. If you can have two, that would be 00:04:34.949 --> 00:04:38.129 even better because you've been dehydrated now 00:04:38.129 --> 00:04:41.189 all night long and maybe longer if you avoid 00:04:41.189 --> 00:04:43.889 drinking after a certain time so you don't have 00:04:43.889 --> 00:04:45.589 to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. 00:04:46.029 --> 00:04:49.129 But you have been dehydrated for a long time, 00:04:49.250 --> 00:04:53.730 many hours. So have that glass of water or two 00:04:53.730 --> 00:04:57.329 would be better to hydrate yourself and get your 00:04:57.329 --> 00:05:01.819 body going and get it moving. I've seen dizziness 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:05.939 improve when doing this, fatigue lift, heart 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:09.600 strain decrease, just from better hydration, 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:13.360 and small sips throughout the day really add 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:17.439 up. My mother used to keep a big bottle of water 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.800 on her countertop, and the idea was that that 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.379 bottle had to be empty by the end of the day, 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:26.220 so then she knew how much water she should be 00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:30.149 drinking. Now, let's talk about breathing. I 00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:33.430 know everybody breathes, but the way you breathe 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:37.110 can help your heart. This one is actually quite 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:39.870 huge. When people are stressed or anxious, they 00:05:39.870 --> 00:05:43.269 tend to breathe shallowly. That keeps the heart 00:05:43.269 --> 00:05:46.829 in a constant state of alert. Slow breathing 00:05:46.829 --> 00:05:49.870 tells the heart that it's safe. Even a minute 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:53.949 or two of slow inhales and longer exhales can 00:05:53.949 --> 00:05:56.819 lower the heart rate. I often tell people to 00:05:56.819 --> 00:06:00.160 breathe like they're fogging a mirror, slow, 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:04.699 gentle, and unforced. It's one of the fastest 00:06:04.699 --> 00:06:08.439 ways to calm the heart, and it's always available. 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:11.800 Another small habit that can protect heart health 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:16.699 is reducing background stress. Not all stress. 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:19.839 I mean, really, that's not realistic, but the 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.470 constant low -level stress. The kind that comes 00:06:23.470 --> 00:06:26.490 from a lot of clutter around your home, from 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:30.610 a lot of noise, from unfinished tasks. I've seen 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:33.589 heart health improve when people simplify their 00:06:33.589 --> 00:06:36.170 environment. It's one of the most important things 00:06:36.170 --> 00:06:41.430 that I used to tell my patients in rehab. So 00:06:41.430 --> 00:06:45.930 do it today. Clear one surface, one drawer at 00:06:45.930 --> 00:06:49.550 a time, I always say. Turning off the news for 00:06:49.550 --> 00:06:53.509 the day, for the entire day. And if you can't 00:06:53.509 --> 00:06:56.689 do that, then for at least part of the day, begin 00:06:56.689 --> 00:07:00.009 that way because news these days is very stressful. 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:03.910 Create a quiet corner for yourself. Pick up a 00:07:03.910 --> 00:07:08.009 book that you enjoy and spend 30 minutes in the 00:07:08.009 --> 00:07:11.689 quiet, enjoying your book or puzzle, whatever 00:07:11.689 --> 00:07:14.990 activity you enjoy. Peace of mind supports heart 00:07:14.990 --> 00:07:19.810 health more than people think. Then there's sleep. 00:07:19.930 --> 00:07:24.540 Now, Many of us as we get older do not get perfect 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:28.480 sleep. I myself tend to sleep in 3 -4 hour increments. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:33.519 Just better sleep. Going to bed at the same time 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.420 or at least a similar time, let's say between, 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:39.500 I don't know, 9 -9 .30, 10 -10 .30, doesn't have 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:43.620 to be exact. Turning the lights down earlier. 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:48.879 Creating a simple wind down routine. The heart 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:52.180 is very good at repairing itself during rest. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:56.000 When sleep is poor, your blood pressure tends 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.060 to rise and inflammation increases. Even small 00:08:00.060 --> 00:08:02.620 improvements in sleep habits can protect your 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:06.259 heart. Another habit I love talking about is 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:08.740 connection. Not many people talk about this when 00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:11.920 it comes to heart health. But loneliness affects 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.620 heart health. It raises your stress hormones. 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:17.439 I've seen seniors improve their heart health 00:08:17.529 --> 00:08:20.850 just by reconnecting with others. It could be 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:24.050 phone calls, it could be FaceTime, video chats, 00:08:24.410 --> 00:08:28.110 short visits, sitting outside and waving to neighbors, 00:08:28.449 --> 00:08:32.049 anything. The heart responds to that sense of 00:08:32.049 --> 00:08:35.309 connection. Not just emotional, it's physical. 00:08:36.330 --> 00:08:40.309 And laughter helps too. Laughter lowers stress 00:08:40.309 --> 00:08:43.850 hormones, it relaxes blood vessels. I've seen 00:08:43.850 --> 00:08:47.149 people's faces soften immediately when they laugh. 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:50.419 their breathing changes. And guess what? Your 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:54.519 heart notices all of that. So turn on, instead 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:58.639 of the news, turn on a comedy show. Even one 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:01.139 of the old ones that we used to watch all the 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:05.179 time. You know, watch a Netflix comedian. I know 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:07.940 that there's some that aren't that great and 00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:10.889 some are amazing, but... Find the ones that you 00:09:10.889 --> 00:09:13.169 like and follow them, watch them, watch them 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:17.610 on YouTube, watch them on your streaming channel, 00:09:17.809 --> 00:09:21.669 anywhere at all. Having that laugh instead of 00:09:21.669 --> 00:09:25.529 the news will help your heart a lot. Another 00:09:25.529 --> 00:09:28.629 small habit that matters is eating with awareness. 00:09:29.710 --> 00:09:32.730 Now I'm not talking about strict diets or cutting 00:09:32.730 --> 00:09:35.970 out things that you enjoy or major food groups, 00:09:36.570 --> 00:09:41.789 just slowing down. eating without rushing, stopping 00:09:41.789 --> 00:09:44.830 when you're full and noticing how foods make 00:09:44.830 --> 00:09:48.429 you feel. It's the way most Europeans eat and 00:09:48.429 --> 00:09:53.590 most Japanese eat. They tend to eat very slowly, 00:09:54.330 --> 00:09:57.509 they're relaxed during their meals and they stop 00:09:57.509 --> 00:10:00.750 when they're full. That awareness also helps 00:10:00.750 --> 00:10:03.529 the heart and it helps your digestion as well. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:07.820 Now here's something that families don't always 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:12.879 realize. Heart health can be affected by how 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:18.220 safe you feel. Fear keeps the heart on high alert. 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:23.259 You can, if you worry about falling, if you worry 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:26.399 about getting hurt, if you worry about being 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:31.370 alone, about, you know, financial issues or worry 00:10:31.370 --> 00:10:35.929 about your family or just worry in general, all 00:10:35.929 --> 00:10:39.730 of that easily raises blood pressure. Making 00:10:39.730 --> 00:10:43.309 the home safer, adding lighting, fixing small 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:47.389 hazards, just making it generally safer, can 00:10:47.389 --> 00:10:50.470 be at least something that you can control to 00:10:50.470 --> 00:10:53.389 decrease the worry for that. May not be able 00:10:53.389 --> 00:10:56.370 to take away the worry about everything, but 00:10:56.370 --> 00:10:59.210 you can at least take away the worry about being 00:10:59.210 --> 00:11:06.730 in your home. Safety creates calm and calm easily 00:11:06.730 --> 00:11:10.669 supports the heart. Another habit that I want 00:11:10.669 --> 00:11:13.470 to talk about that protects heart health is asking 00:11:13.470 --> 00:11:16.529 for help sooner. You may not think that that 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:20.889 really helps but it really does and not many 00:11:20.889 --> 00:11:23.909 older adults do that. They tend to ask for help 00:11:23.909 --> 00:11:29.049 either never or much much later. when it's almost 00:11:29.049 --> 00:11:34.450 impossible or too difficult or impossible to 00:11:34.450 --> 00:11:40.070 fix. Ignoring symptoms easily adds stress. Wondering 00:11:40.070 --> 00:11:44.049 what it is, what is the symptom, adds stress. 00:11:44.789 --> 00:11:48.690 I've seen so many of my patients get better just 00:11:48.690 --> 00:11:53.720 after simply scheduling an appointment. even 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:57.000 better coming out of that appointment because 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:01.120 now they have some answers from a qualified physician. 00:12:01.899 --> 00:12:05.720 Knowing someone that is checking things out really 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:09.379 matters. Peace of mind easily supports heart 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:12.379 health. And here's something that I want to say 00:12:12.379 --> 00:12:16.019 very clearly. You don't have to do all of this. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:19.440 You don't need a checklist. Just pick one habit. 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:24.169 Start there. You can write these down. as a eventual 00:12:24.169 --> 00:12:27.769 to do, as a goal kind of thing, but pick one. 00:12:27.929 --> 00:12:32.289 Do that one for 30, 60 days, and then once you've 00:12:32.289 --> 00:12:35.750 got that down, then pick another one and do that 00:12:35.750 --> 00:12:39.289 for 30, 60 days. It can really be that easy. 00:12:40.809 --> 00:12:45.830 Heart health is built gently, not forcefully, 00:12:46.009 --> 00:12:49.690 and the goal isn't to be perfect. It's not perfection. 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:54.009 It's consistency. I've said it again. Be consistent. 00:12:54.769 --> 00:12:58.009 Small habits done often protect the heart over 00:12:58.009 --> 00:13:01.850 time. Well, that's all that I have for you today. 00:13:02.350 --> 00:13:04.509 I want to thank you again for being here with 00:13:04.509 --> 00:13:08.370 me. If today's episode gave you some useful insights 00:13:08.370 --> 00:13:11.529 or new ideas, then please share it with someone 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:15.009 who you think might find it helpful as well. 00:13:15.149 --> 00:13:18.789 You can discover even more expert tips and helpful 00:13:18.789 --> 00:13:22.769 guides for seniors and family caregivers at seniorsafetyadvice 00:13:22.769 --> 00:13:25.889 .com. And if you happen to be searching for an 00:13:25.889 --> 00:13:27.990 Aging in Place specialist, then visit our other 00:13:27.990 --> 00:13:31.850 website at aginginplacedirectory .com. And don't 00:13:31.850 --> 00:13:34.610 forget, come back tomorrow for more useful tips, 00:13:34.909 --> 00:13:38.100 insights, and ideas right here. on the Senior 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:41.399 Safety Advice Podcast. And hey, if you haven't 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.100 yet subscribed to our YouTube channel or the 00:13:44.100 --> 00:13:47.320 podcast yet, then please go ahead and do that 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:50.679 right now. It really helps us to reach more people 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:53.299 who could use this kind of support and information. 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:57.639 So until next time, take care of yourself and 00:13:57.639 --> 00:13:58.580 the ones that you love.