Maintenance Program
Congratulations! You have completed the 4 phases of the HeartStrong.com program and are in much better heart health than you were when you started!
In this HeartStrong.com video/article, we will discuss the maintenance phase of the HeartStrong.com program. This phase was designed to help you learn how to stay healthy, no matter where the HeartStrong.com landed you. Not all HeartStrong.com members will complete all the way through phase 4 of the program. Regardless, lets discuss how we can keep you on a heart health path for the rest of your life.
Exercise Plan
You may have excelled past the 150 minutes per week minimum of moderate intensity aerobic exercise recommended by the ACC/AHA and CDC for heart health, however this is all that it takes to keep your heart healthy and to maintain the weight loss that you achieved throughout the program. It is not realistic for most people, even those who completed through phase 4 of the program, to keep up more than 150 minutes per week for the rest of their life.
Stick to the 150 minutes per week so you do not get burned out or injured. Use all the tools that you learned in the How To Make Exercise Fun video and keep mixing up the activities. Run events. Travel to new places to run or bike. Join classes at a gym to keep active. There are so many ways to do it, just stay focused and you will be successful!
Nutrition Plan
HeartStrong.com recommends that for life you stick to the Phase 3 or Phase 4 eating plan. This is essentially a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet. Be sure to supplement vitamin B12 or use vitamin B12 fortified foods and monitor with your physician vitamin D levels.
With this diet pattern you will not only be eating no cholesterol at all, but getting all the macronutrients and micronutrients you need to keep you healthy.
Summary and Conclusions
Keeping the focus on you heart health is the key. Do not ever forget the healthy journey that you have been on, the energy that you now have and most importantly, the good health that you can enjoy for a long time!
Please, share your story and your success with HeartStrong.com, we would love to feature your achievements on our site!