Promoting Heart Health in Your Family

happy-family-around-the-heart

In recent years, the CDC has reported that heart disease has been the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. This statistic is frightening and taking the time to focus on heart health can be a good exercise for everyone in your family.

In honor of American Heart Month, Golden Triangle Emergency Center wants to help all of our local families learn how to talk about heart health. What steps should you take to have a healthier heart? How do you talk to your parents or kids about your concerns? The best way to fight heart disease is through healthy life changes, and it is much easier to achieve that change when you’re tackling it as a team. So, this February, let’s take a look at your family’s health habits and find new room for strengthening your hearts.

Keeping a Healthy Heart

Aside from certain genetic conditions and deformities that someone might be born with, having a healthy heart is something that is within our control. It comes down to making choices that will strengthen your heart, as well as avoiding risky choices that might damage it. Here are some of the best tips for heart health:

  • Exercise regularly: whether you’re going on long walks or hitting a hard spin class, doing some kind of cardo exercise a few times a week will work your heart’s muscles in all the right ways. When your heart is stronger physically, it will become better at pumping blood and keeping you energized. A strong heart can also lower risks of certain heart conditions later in life.
  • Eat well: with busy days at work and running the kids around to after school activities, it can be hard to find time for healthy meals. But maintaining a good diet can go a long way to keeping your whole family in good health. Try to minimize overly fatty or fried foods, while eating more fruits and vegetables. If your family struggles to find the time to prepare these meals, then try creating a weekly meal-planning schedule. Pre-cook meals on the weekends and store throughout the week for quick throw-together meals that will be tasty and promote a strong heart.
  • Don’t smoke: for years now, it has been widely known that smoking can be bad for not only your lungs, but your heart. The strain that smoke causes (be it from cigarettes, cigars, or other smoking methods), can weaken your heart. Avoiding smoke and second-hand smoke is important to keeping you and your family as heart-healthy as possible.
  • Limit drinking: another substance that can weaken your body is alcohol. While many out there enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer on game-day, it is important to monitor and limit how much alcohol you drink. Certain kinds of alcohol, like red wine, have antioxidants in them which can be good for the heart. But the actual alcohol content in each drink is what can damage your body, heart included. So, making sure you drink in moderation is important to the longevity of your heart.

These four strategies for heart health can start at any age. For parents with young children, beginning these good habits early can go a long way to helping your children’s health. Try looking at your family’s routines and see where you can fit in some long walks or salads with dinner. Getting your kids engaged and excited about family health is a great way to give them a leg up in life.

Talking About Heart Health

Some parents find it difficult to talk to their kids about health and medical information. It’s one thing to remind your kids to eat their vegetables, or they can’t have dessert, but it’s another thing entirely to explain to them why they need to exercise or avoid heart-risks. Discussions like these can get even more difficult if family members get sick. For example, if a grandparent has a heart attack and your family is all planning to make dietary changes to help in their recovery, how do you talk to your kids about this without scaring them?

Open communication is important in all families, and for heart health that is no different. If your family is making changes to your diet or exercise routines, then you’ll want to talk to your kids and properly explain why. For very young kids, you can keep your explanations short and easy, telling them that it is to stay healthy and grow strong. But for older kids, who can understand more, you’ll want to treat them with respect and explain to them your concerns for the whole family’s health. This is especially true if someone in your family has suffered a heart condition, or if you have risk factors for heart conditions in your family.

Ultimately, it is important to make sure your children know why certain choices are better or worse for their heart. Giving them that education early on will make them better equipped to take care of themselves throughout their lives. If you struggle to get your kids on board with heart-healthy changes, then try giving them choices in how to make these changes. You can provide options for family exercises or meal planning that will make them involved in the process. This inclusion and responsibility can make them feel more engaged with their health and feel more in control of the changes taking place in the family.

February might be American Heart Month, but your family’s heart health should be a priority all year round. Following these tips and finding new ways to integrate heart health into your daily routine can go a long way to ensuring that your whole family has a long and happy life. Grandparents, parents, and children alike can all benefit from heart health.

In the event of any health emergencies, heart-related emergencies included, Golden Triangle Emergency Center is here for you. Our concierge-level care for all ages is available 24/7 for local patients, and our doctors are ready to serve. When your family needs it most, we offer only the very best.


Nutex Health, Inc supports you and your family’s health. You can depend on Golden Triangle Emergency Center or any one of our concierge-level, freestanding emergency facilities to deliver the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Cold & Flu Season Survival Guide

cold-and-flu-treatments

The holidays are here, but they’re not just bringing gifts. It happens every year. With the advent of Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve comes the infamous cold and flu season. Kids are sneezing, parents are coughing, and the risk of inconvenient illnesses seems to lurk around every corner.

There’s no reason to fear, though! Golden Triangle Emergency Center is here to help with what we call the Cold & Flu Season Survival Guide. These tips and tricks will help your whole family stay healthy and happy during the holidays. From washing your hands properly to eating the right foods, this crash course will show you how to lower your risks of getting sick as well as how to shake off a cold faster.

Stop Spreading Germs!

The first step to getting through the Cold & Flu Season in tip top shape is, of course, to never get sick. This can be a lofty goal for many families, since contagious germs seem to be everywhere. Kids who go to school, daycare, or afterschool activities are exposed to their classmates’ germs and parents who work in large offices might be at risk from their co-workers. Adding in the everyday exposure we all get when going to the grocery store, taking a walk, or dropping by a friend’s holiday party, and there are more ways to spread a cold than we can count.

But this doesn’t mean you have to be part of the problem. Decreasing how many germs you spread and pick up every day can be simple with two easy routines:

  1. Wash Your Hands: being diligent about washing your hands before you eat and after you use the restroom can be instrumental and lowering your risk of catching a cold or contracting the flu. Washing your hands regularly will stop any germs you might come in contact with throughout the day from making it to your mouth or eyes when you eat, scratch an itch, rub your face, or during personal grooming. This makes it harder for viruses to infect you and your family, thus making your risk of getting ill much lower.
  2. Cover Your Coughs & Sneezes: No matter if you’re actually sick or if your nose just got irritated for one moment, sneezing or coughing around others is not only rude, it can be a health risk. Every time we sneeze or cough, some of our mucus will spray into the air, which makes it highly effective in breeding and transferring new viruses. Colds and the flu are spread by sneezing and coughing, so even if you don’t feel sick, it is important to practice covering your coughs. Teach your children to look for tissues when they’re going to sneeze, or if there are no tissues available, you can teach them to cough or sneeze into the crook of their bent elbow. Using your elbow to cover up is more effective, and more sanitary, than using your hands because it stifles the cough more effectively and it keeps your hands clean and safe.

Some people also like to carry hand sanitizer with them during this time of year, just in case, and this can be helpful as well. However, nothing is quite as effective at limiting illness than clean hands and covered coughs.

Get Vaccinated!

To get through the flu half of the Cold & Flu Season unscathed, there is no better way than to get your annual flu shot. Many families have already gotten vaccinated for the year, but some have not. Even though it is December, it is never too late to get your flu vaccine, and anyone who might be worried about getting sick should talk with their doctor right away about getting a flu shot.

After last year’s news worthy flu season, some families might also be worried about whether or not the flu shot is effective. While scientists agree that the 2017-2018 flu was a different strain than they anticipated, this year’s research has only made the flu shot more effective. The flu shot can not only prevent you from getting sick with the flu at all, but in cases where patients who have been vaccinated do get the flu, the shot makes their symptoms less severe and helps the to recover much faster.

Remember, the flu season lasts through January and February as well, so make sure you’re prepared for it.

Eating (and Drinking) Right!

A nourished body is a strong body, so making sure your family stays healthy during the holidays isn’t just about avoiding contagious germs. It comes down to how you fuel your body, and the vitamins you get. Multivitamins and immune boosters might help for some people, but no matter what kind of daily supplements you get, nothing is effective as getting your nutrients through the foods you eat and the things you drink.

  • Staying hydrated is incredibly important. While many people prefer hot drinks during the winter season, getting daily water is vital to maintaining a healthy body and fighting off colds and the flu. Drink water and all-natural fruit juice, orange juice is a favorite, to keep your vitamin C up.
  • Avoid excessive sugars and preservatives. The holidays are a time for lots of home baking and holiday cheer but be careful with how much you’re indulging at holiday celebrations. Limit your family’s extra desserts and try to avoid eating too many processed foods that have extra preservatives and additives in them.
  • Eat vegetables every day. This is something many parents try to encourage in their children, but it can be difficult to eat fruits and veggies sometimes. If your children refuse to eat vegetables, then try making new homemade soups with lots of vegetables boiled in the stock. This way, even if your kids pick around the veggies themselves, the broth they drink up will have many of the vitamins and nutrients from the vegetables already in it.

Making sure your body is nourished is important to prevent colds and the flu, but if someone you love has fallen ill, then it is even more important to keep them hydrated and well fed. Even if you feel a tiny tickle in the back of your throat, drink extra water and cut back on the dessert. Your body will only get stronger if you give it the best.

 

Getting through the Cold & Flu Season can be challenging sometimes. Some years, it might be a breeze, while others might make you feel like it is impossible not to get sick. By following these simple guidelines, you can give yourself a fighting chance at getting through the holidays without falling ill. If someone in your family does get sick, though, then don’t worry! Golden Triangle Emergency Center is here for you. Our facilities are open 24/7, even on holidays, with concierge-level care for all ages.


Nutex Health, Inc supports you and your family’s health. You can depend on Golden Triangle Emergency Center or any one of our concierge-level, freestanding emergency facilities to deliver the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.