February is American Heart Month, making it a great time for everyone to evaluate their heart health. While some people are focusing on getting exercise, others are focusing more on their diet. Meanwhile, the best way to have a healthier heart is to consider both diet and movement and how they work together to keep hearts healthier and reduce cardiovascular disease risks.

“We all get busy with our routines, but heart health is not something we can keep putting on the back burner,” said Jennifer Scherer, registered dietitian nutritionist, medical exercise specialist, certified personal trainer, master-level Pilates instructor and owner of Fredericksburg Fitness Studio. “We need to make it a priority because of how serious it is and how the issues with it tend to creep up if you are not paying attention.”

The facts surrounding heart disease in the country are alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the leading cause of death for men and women, with someone dying from it every 34 seconds. Each year, in the U.S., there are over 900,000 people who die from cardiovascular disease, accounting for approximately one in every three deaths. These are grim statistics, but the good news is that there are many things people can do to help minimize those risks.

Watching what we eat and getting moving are two major ways people can influence their cardiovascular health. The two things are crucial to heart health because what we eat influences the factors that can make our heart healthier, and movement strengthens the heart, which is a muscle. When we get enough movement, it also helps reduce the risk of other issues, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of type II diabetes.

Working on only diet or only exercise would be like ensuring that a car is nicely washed and waxed, but filling it up with stale gas. It doesn’t matter how much is in the tank; the motor isn’t likely to run as well. We can’t outrun a poor diet, making it crucial to keep both issues in focus. When we eat a healthier diet and pair that with getting movement, we build a healthier heart and cardiovascular system.

Here are some ways to help improve diet and movement to work toward a healthier heart:

• Work with a trainer. Make a commitment to be more physically active. One easy way to help make this a habit is to work with a personal trainer. According to the National Institutes of Health, physical activity strengthens your heart and improves lung function. Done regularly, exercise helps lower your risk of coronary heart disease. More movement helps to keep the heart working better. Find movement that is enjoyable so that it will be easy to continue. Try things like Pilates, yoga, power walking, or pickleball.
• Don’t overlook blood pressure. Often referred to as the silent killer, high blood pressure directly affects how hard the heart is working, and often presents with no symptoms. It’s crucial that people keep an eye on their blood pressure and take steps to improve it if it is elevated, such as reducing sodium intake, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, improving their diet, and managing weight. Some people may also need to speak to their doctor regarding blood pressure medication options.
• Make dietary changes. According to Penn State University, diet is the key to heart health, and it’s never too late to make positive changes. Commit to the idea of improving the diet by upping the amount of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins eaten on a regular basis. Snacking is a problem for many people, so be sure to choose heart-healthy snacks, such as nuts, fruit, and seeds. Start by automating one meal per day with healthy choices. For example, choose what breakfast will be daily during the week, such as eggs with sautéed greens, or oatmeal with nuts and fruit. Keeping it simple and automating it helps to ensure that it will be followed and healthy goals will be met.
• Start small. Many people shy away from making the heart healthy changes they aspire to, simply because they find it overwhelming to do so much at once. Instead of making lots of changes all at the same time, start small. Choose one thing each week or month to focus on. Small changes over time add up to big results.
• Manage stress. It’s important to have ways to manage and reduce stress so that it doesn’t damage heart health. Stress can contribute to high blood pressure, as well as lead people to make unhealthy choices. Find healthy ways to address stress, such as exercising, meditating, or practicing breathing exercises.
• Be patient. It takes time to create a routine, new habits, and feel results. A study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, found that it takes 66 days on average for habits to become automatic. In the study, some habit formation took over 200 days, showing how important it is to stick with health goals and give it time to become a habit. Don’t give up if a day or two goes by where the goals were not kept.

“Sometimes people simply need a road map to get started on the journey,” added Scherer. “We have done that for a lot of people and have seen the difference it makes in their lives. We ensure people have the right tools and plan in place so they can make a real difference in their heart and overall health.”

At Fredericksburg Fitness Studio, clients work with a registered dietitian nutritionist and experienced movement professionals to develop personalized, realistic plans. Services are offered both in person and virtually and include comprehensive assessments of medical history, nutrition habits, movement patterns, and lifestyle factors. They provide virtual nutrition therapy, medical nutrition therapy, and tailored meal planning through EatLove Pro—delivering scalable support with built-in accountability at every level.

The boutique studio also offers semi-private and private training focused on Pilates, strength training, mobility, fall prevention, and medical exercise. With two Fredericksburg locations, the studio provides a highly personalized environment, luxury amenities, and expert instruction across reformer, chair, tower, CoreAlign, and master-level Pilates equipment. Fredericksburg Fitness Studio is proud to be a Medicare provider.

In addition, Jennifer Scherer and her husband, Jeff Smith, co-host the Fitness & Finance Radio podcast, which explores the intersection of physical wellness and financial planning for retirement, highlighting how long-term health impacts long-term financial security.To learn more about Fredericksburg Fitness Studio, visit https://www.fburgfitness.com. To listen to Fitness & Finance Radio, visit https://fitnessfinancepro.com.