5 Bad Habits for Your Heart
Everyone knows that a healthy diet and regular exercise are important to maintaining your heart’s health. Here are a few common habits that can harm your heart.
Spending too much time on your phone
Sitting for great lengths of time can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, make an effort to get up and walk around every hour.
Skipping the floss
Research has linked gum disease with heart disease. When you don’t floss, plaque builds up over time, leading to inflammation and gum disease. Some believe this inflammation promotes hardening of the arteries.
Drinking too much wine
While some studies show that small amounts of alcohol can benefit your heart health, too much can lead to high blood pressure and weight gain.
Assuming it won’t happen to you
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America. Don’t assume that you’re not at risk. Be sure to get an annual physical exam and have your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.
Skipping your medication
If you’re on medication for high blood pressure, it can be easy to forget to take your pills—especially if you feel fine. High blood pressure is known as the silent killer, since it often doesn’t have any physical symptoms.
Want help managing your heart health?
Our Hypertension Management Program can help you manage your blood pressure. Get started today by completing your Blue Health Assessment. It only takes about 10 minutes and you’ll receive a personalized action plan for a healthier you.
You can also sign up for MyBlue, our member-only site that gives you 24/7 access to helpful tools like Daily Habits and your Personal Health Record. With MyBlue, you can also keep track of your out-of-pocket costs, view your claims history and much more—all in one convenient place.
You can also get rewarded for staying healthy with the Wellness Incentive Program—you can earn up to $170* in rewards for taking steps to improve your health. Both the contract holder and spouse are eligible to earn rewards.
Here are two easy ways to earn rewards:
- Take the Blue Health Assessment. Receive a personalized health plan and earn $50.
- Complete three eligible Daily Habits goals. Earn up to an additional $120.
Any rewards you earn are automatically loaded onto your MyBlue® Wellness Card that you can use to pay for qualified medical expenses like doctor’s office copays, prescriptions, lab fees, glasses and contact lenses.
*You must be the contract holder or spouse, 18 or older, on a FEP Blue Standard™ or FEP Blue Basic™ plan to earn these incentive rewards.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/featured-topic/5-ways-slimming-screen-time-is-good-for-your-health
https://www.healthline.com/health/leading-causes-of-death
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10010192/
