Sister to Sister

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Making positive changes for your health is exciting... and achievable! As you start on your heart health journey, follow these steps to success:

Step 1: Identify your needs.

Get screened for heart disease, if you haven't already, and review your numbers to discover the specific heart disease risk factors you need to address.

Step 2: Set goals to lower your risk.

So you don’t feel overwhelmed, select one to three new goals to work on at a time. Write them on a sheet of paper and post it somewhere you will see it often (like on your bathroom mirror or refrigerator). For each goal decide the following: how long will you have this goal; how often will you do it; and what you need to do to be successful.

For example: I will take a 15-minute walk after lunch (the goal) for the next month (how long), four days a week (how often). To succeed, I will try to find people to walk with, be prepared for the weather, and plan ahead.

Step 3: Create a support system.

Talk with other women on a heart-health journey in the Sister to Sister online community. Also, invite your family, friends, and coworkers to join you in making healthy lifestyle changes. We've got a few ideas to get you started.

Step 4: Track your success.

It can take up to six weeks for a lifestyle change to become a habit. Keeping track of your goals and your achievements helps you to see what strategies work best for you. If you don’t succeed at first, select an easier goal and try again. Celebrate each success and then step up to a new challenge!

Know the Mind/Body Connection

It’s no secret that women need to take care of their hearts. Still, saying it and doing are two different things. To set your mind toward heart health, try these tips.

• Know yourself. Being realistic about your good and bad habits can help you identify which changes you can make successfully. Start with those, because success inspires more success.
• Step slowly. Making too many lifestyle changes at once can be overwhelming. Rest assured that it’s better to make one change at a time than to tackle everything at once. Start with easy changes that you are ready to make now.
• Break things down. Make your changes permanent by easing into them. Decide what you need to change and then break that change up into small steps that you can build upon.
• Be reasonable. It’s easier to succeed at making lifestyle changes if you believe that they are important to you. Make a list of all the reasons why you should be ready for change and hang it somewhere you will see it all the time.
• Anticipate troublespots. Think about situations that might cause you to stray from your heart health plan, and plan out strategies to combat them – just in case. Also, don’t be shy about turning to your support system for reinforcement!