Helping Health Matter to your Family

February is American Heart Month, and cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States. Having been a cardiology nurse, I’m well aware of the risks. One of the most rewarding parts of my job was giving patients education and reassurance after they had a heart attack. They would share their regrets, and their plans for the future – big changes they were planning to make sure they didn’t end up having another one. There are obvious changes to make; quit smoking, lose weight, and improve your diet being some of them. I passionately shared these conversations with my patients, but never really stopped to consider my own health.

My husband and I have never been smokers, and had relatively healthy diets. I’d been carrying a few extra pounds, and couldn’t seem to find the time to exercise, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I wasn’t making my health a priority. When you are young and relatively healthy, it’s easy to take your heart for granted. It’s easy to throw a donut at your face while you chase toddlers around. It’s easy to ignore the weight you have slowly gained and just tell yourself you will lose it when life calms down a little. I get it. I’m with you.

My father in law had a heart attack and died in December of 2016. The sudden loss was heartbreaking, and more than a little eye opening for us. My husband Brian has the healthiest habits of any person I know. He also has had high cholesterol since his early twenties. He regularly works out, pays close attention to his diet, and makes every effort to get enough sleep – even with two toddlers. His cholesterol had never been a big source of worry for us, or for his doctor – in part because his ratio of good to bad cholesterol was excellent, and also because he was so young and healthy.

After the loss of his father, Brian started seeing a cardiologist that specializes in preventative medicine, and he agreed it was time to make some changes to minimize his risk. At the doctors suggestion, he embarked on a strict vegan diet for six months. As a wife and mother, I welcomed the challenge – not only did I want to improve my own health, but I wanted to lay down a healthy foundation for my girls. I believe children become what they see everyday, and I wanted them to see both of their parents making good decisions. I would take this as an opportunity to become more aware and conscious of our health.

At the beginning of each week, I would plan all of our meals. At first it was out of necessity. I found it almost impossible to throw together a healthy vegan meal on the fly. Then I discovered it made my life during the week immensely easier. I was excited to try so many new recipes, and most of them were delicious – with the exception of vegan stuffed shells. It doesn’t translate, trust me. My mindset was changing, and I began to view food more as fuel for our bodies, and that made it easier to turn down ice cream. We bought a Vitamix, and the girls became obsessed with smoothies, which has been a fun way of helping them enjoy eating a lot of greens.

We started exercising regularly, as a family, and not just at the gym. We have after dinner dance parties, take family walks with our favorite blue wagon, or walk laps around the kitchen island if we find ourselves stuck in the house. The girls climb on Dad’s back when he does his push ups every day. They copy our stretches, and make the cutest attempts at yoga. Even when life is crazy, we are trying to teach our kids that we should be active continuously, and that exercise can be fun!

After six months of new recipes and incredible self discipline, we were discouraged to learn that Brian’s cholesterol had not changed in any meaningful way. His case is unique, and fortunately there are other options for him. We have relaxed our diet, reintroducing some foods, simply because we enjoy them. We didn’t accomplish our original goal, but that’s okay. I’m so proud of the things we did accomplish. At the end of the day, we lowered our risks of developing cardiovascular disease, and are a healthier family. We are making mindful decisions about how we treat, and what we put into our bodies. And that usually feels better than a donut tastes. 

 

If you’d like more information about American Heart Month, or how to assess your own cardiovascular risk, the American Heart Association provides great resources geared towards men, women, and even children.

http://newsroom.heart.org/events/february-is-american-heart-month-6669831

 

 

Previous article#PMBMoments: Photos of the week (Feb 18)
Next articleBlack Culture in Quilting
Melissa McMahon
Melissa is originally from a small town in Massachusetts, but so happy to be making her home in Pittsburgh with her husband and best friend, Brian. Their family includes a cranky old cat, a lovable hound dog, and two wild and sweet daughters, Everly and Alison. Melissa began her career as an English major, but through some twists and turns, ended up right where she was supposed to be as a cardiac nurse. She loved nursing, but decided to switch things up again and become a stay at home Mom to her two awesome girls. She spends her days pretending to eat fake food, cleaning up the same messes she cleaned up the day before, and giving lots of hugs and kisses. It’s the best. Melissa is so excited to be writing again, and can’t wait to connect with and learn from the Pittsburgh Moms Blog community!