Once a year, in September, we celebrate World Heart Day. Maintaining a healthy heart, on the other hand, is anything but a once-a-year occasion.

It takes hard work and practice, all year long, to keep your heart in the best possible condition and to avoid every manner of cardiovascular disease. And that’s especially important when you consider that heart disease and stroke – the orld’s leading causes of death – claim more than 17 million lives each year.

In 2014, World Heart Day is emphasizing environmental factors and their impact on our ability to make heart-healthy choices. You see, while every one of us is responsible for staying active and eating nutritious meals, some communities simple don’t have access to healthy food options, green open spaces, and smoke-free environments, which can greatly increase one’s risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

So in honor of World Heart Day, here are some things you can do in your own home and community to improve heart health for yourself and those around you:

Understand your own risk factors so that you can be better prepared to make healthy changes.
Talk to your child’s school or your workplace about offering healthier lunch and snack options.
Consider starting a neighborhood farm share; not only will you receive fresh, local produce but you’ll be supporting local agriculture, as well.
Reduce your consumption of highly-processed foods, as they are often high in salt and saturated fat.
Commit to cooking with and eating more fresh fruit and vegetables.
If you smoke, pledge to quit. At the very least, don’t smoke in your home and don’t allow others to, either.
Start a neighborhood or workplace mileage club, tracking how many miles everyone walks in a 30 day window.
Ban eating out and fast food for a month.

Another factor in promoting heart health is cleaning up the quality of your indoor air which, on average, is twice as polluted as the outdoor air you breathe. Here at Optimum Air, for example, we can eliminate more than 99% of all dirt, dust, and other airborne particles that pass through your ducts during heating or cooling system operation.

We offer other indoor air quality solutions, as well, so contact us today to learn how we can help turn your home into a healthier living environment.