Heart-Healthy Activities To Do With Dad : 4 Ways! Share to your dad!

Happy National Men’s Health Week and Father’s Day!

This week is National Men’s Health Week, which aims to bring awareness to preventable health problems and encourage early detection of disease; and with Father’s Day just around the corner, this is our chance to help the Dad in your life stay healthy and on top of his heart game.

The Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 1.2 million lives each year, and is responsible for a staggering one out of four deaths in men.  Just why is it so widespread?  There are numerous risk factors for heart disease, and almost half (47%) of all Americans have at least one of the three key risk factors of heart disease: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking.

Risk factors of heart disease are separated into two groups: uncontrollable and controllable.  Uncontrollable risk factors include age, ethnicity, and family history.  Controllable risk factors include behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity.  According to the CDC, each year, at least 200,000 of deaths from heart disease are preventable through changes in our lifestyle habits–which effectively decreases our risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

In honor of both National Men’s Health Week and Father’s Day, let’s make it our priority to help keep the Dad in our life healthy.  Here are our top four heart-healthy activities you can not only take part in with Dad this Father’s Day weekend but also incorporate into your everyday life:

Here Are Some Activities You Can Enjoy with your Dad to Stay Healthy Together!

Move more

Kick off the weekend by going on a hike with Dad!  You’ll get fresh air (good for the lungs), terrific views (good for the eyes), all while getting in a killer workout (good for the heart), so what’s not to love?  The American Heart Association recommends 3-4 sessions of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and decrease cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Drink smart

You’ve just completed your weekend workout so now it’s time to celebrate with an ice-cold beer, right?  Think again!  Increased alcohol consumption can lead to raised blood pressure and cholesterol levels, contribute to obesity, and increase risk for stroke and other diseases.

Rather than reaching for a beer, swap it out for a refreshing (and not-to-mention nutritious!) juice or smoothie.  Make our favorite post-workout drink for Dad.  It only contains five ingredients: milk, banana, spinach, dates, and peanut butter, but and we’re sure he’ll love it!

Eat better

Recreate Dad’s favorite restaurant meals at home.  Not only is it healthier–you’ll know exactly what ingredients are going into your food (do you really know how much oil and cream the diner put into your scrambled eggs?)–but your wallet will also thank you!  Try to focus on fresh produce, and less on the processed stuff.  We like to try to stick to the 80/20 rule when it comes to our diet!

Monitor your health

Many health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, don’t have physical symptoms, but can be detected by monitoring your health numbers.  MOCAheart measures heart rate, blood oxygen, and blood velocity to give you a snapshot of your cardiovascular health.  Ask Dad to take measurements frequently and make tweaks in his lifestyle habits, such as those mentioned above, to see improvements in his health.  Best of all, he can conveniently share his results with you and your family through the app’s own chat platform.