February Is Heart Month: Lifestyle Changes That Could Save Your Life

Local physicians are seeing a rise in heart disease diagnoses, often driven by a combination of lifestyle habits and underlying health conditions. While some risk factors can’t be changed, many powerful steps to protect your heart are within your control.

Factors you can change:

• Diet: Diets high in unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar can increase the risk of cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. A heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats—like omega-3s—can make a meaningful impact.
• Physical inactivity: Regular exercise strengthens the heart and helps manage weight, blood pressure, and circulation. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
• Weight and stress: Excess weight puts a strain on the heart, while chronic stress can lead to inflammation and unhealthy behaviors.

“Lifestyle changes will help, but these need to be consistently done. Start small and stick to whatever changes you make. When that goal is met, then add another. Failure happens when you try to make too many big changes at once. Have a reasonable goal and don’t stray off the path.”

– Jack Casas, M.D., Interventional Cardiology, Northeastern Oklahoma Heart Center

Factors you can’t change—such as age, family history, gender, and ethnicity—still matter, but lifestyle improvements can significantly reduce overall risk.

Health Conditions That Increase Risk

Conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, and inflammatory disorders can accelerate heart disease by damaging blood vessels and increasing plaque buildup.

Hope Through Prevention

The good news? Prevention works. Many patients at Northeast Oklahoma Heart Center have dramatically improved their heart health through better nutrition, regular exercise, and stress management—often lowering cholesterol, improving blood pressure, and even strengthening heart function.

Steps to Protect Your Heart

• Eat a heart-healthy diet.
• Stay physically active
• Avoid smoking and limit alcohol.
• Monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
• Manage stress through relaxation techniques.

Early action matters. When risk factors are identified early, heart disease can often be prevented or slowed. To schedule an appointment, contact Northeast Oklahoma Heart Center at (918) 229-1431.

Cardiac Calcium Scoring

We also offer Cardiac Calcium Scoring—a quick, painless scan that helps assess your heart disease risk before symptoms appear. Call (918) 772-4588 to schedule your scan today.