April is National Hypertension Month. In recognition of this, we have decided to highlight this week for you some exercise suggestions to help increase your heart health and lower your risk of hypertension.

We all know that exercise can keep you healthy and fit. Concerning the heart, it can also help lower blood pressure, improve overall cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of heart disease, and even reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Also, it just helps make you feel younger and more energetic.

Sometimes, though, it’s hard to find the time to get out and exercise. Maybe your job involves a lot of sitting or inactivity, and sometimes there’s even less activity at home. There are easy ways to get small amounts of exercise into your workday; ways that don’t require any gyms or special equipment.

The average American takes 5,000 steps a day. By using a pedometer (like our Spri Pedometer!), you can see if you’re hitting that average, or if you could use a little more activity. The goal for people looking to increase their heart health is 10,000 steps a day.

Doing things like parking your car farther away from the building, taking public transportation, or climbing stairs more often can significantly impact your health in a very positive way, plus have added bonuses as well. Who wouldn’t want to completely forget about fighting traffic?

These tips and much more can be found in the book: “The DASH Diet Action Plan.” One of the many heart health items in our catalog and at www.ncescatalog.com.  Item # 3732.