Are You Taking Care of Your Heart?
Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure? Do you get out of breath going up a flight of stairs? Your heart is vital to your survival. At Priority Physical Therapy, our therapists understand how important it is to address underlying issues and create a plan to help prevent injury and disease.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, accounting for one in four deaths each year. Fortunately, most forms of heart disease are preventable by making lifestyle changes, including exercising, practicing good nutritional habits, and reducing stress in your everyday life.
February is American Heart Month. Our team at Priority Physical Therapy can help improve your heart health by helping you learn how to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, and avoid anything that can cause damage to it.
Request an appointment with one of our specialists to learn how to keep your heart healthy!
5 Tips for Better Heart Health
Taking action and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will assist you in making sure your heart is healthy. When your heart doesn’t get enough attention, significant problems might arise in the artery lining, leading to plaque buildup. Plaque forming in your arteries is the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Here are 5 simple ways you can make sure your heart continues to perform at its best:
- Exercise to increase your heart rate: Walking and biking around your area regularly can help you raise your heart rate. Exercising regularly can help you lose weight, reduce your stress and improve your mood.
- Participate in strength training: Strength training is one of the most effective injury-prevention strategies for the body and heart. Your therapist can help you develop safe strength-training techniques.
- Maintain mobility of the joints and muscles: Regular stretching and mobility work keeps you active and makes you feel better. The more active you are, the healthier your heart is! Knowing the right workouts and therapies for your joint and muscle health will help you feel better and enhance your overall function.
- Eat healthy meals: Nutrition plays a huge role in heart health. Plant-based foods, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats like fatty fish and olive oil should all be in your diet. Fried foods, trans fats, processed foods, and added sugar should all be avoided.
- Manage your stress: Stress can raise blood pressure, so do your best to find daily ways to relax. The less stressed out you are, the less tension and stress you place on your heart. Exercising, getting adequate sleep, stretching before bed, or taking a nightly warm shower are all things that could help with relaxation.
The best approach to keep your heart strong and healthy is to exercise regularly. It’s a natural, safe, and effective way to help improve your heart function! Physical therapy is an excellent method to add additional physical activity to your daily routine.
What to Expect in Physical Therapy
If you’re looking for a safe way to improve your heart health, physical therapy is a great option. At Priority Physical Therapy, our team of experts can play a leading role in preventing, reversing, and managing heart-related conditions. Our therapists can help you improve your heart health by advising you on lifestyle adjustments that include daily exercises, nutrition, and stress reduction strategies based on your individual needs.
Our team comprises movement experts who have the knowledge and training to evaluate and treat several kinds of acute and chronic pain conditions and abnormal physical function related to an injury, disability, disease, or unhealthy lifestyle.
We perform a thorough evaluation that includes your overall health status to create an exercise plan that ensures you’re getting as much physical activity as you can throughout the day. This will consist of treatments to address any injuries you may have and to help prevent other health issues.
We can guide you through proper exercises and specialized treatments to relieve your joint and muscle pain, increase your strength and flexibility, and improve your overall health by getting your blood flowing and your heart rate up. Participating in regular physical therapy appointments can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, significantly decreasing your chances of cardiac arrest in the future.
Our goal is to incorporate activities to improve your heart health so you can enjoy your life!
Request an Appointment Today
Caring for your heart is just as important as caring for any other part of your body. For American Heart Month, our team at Priority Physical Therapy can help you get back into shape safely and healthily! Contact us this month to learn how you can improve your heart health by incorporating more physical activity into your life!
Florence Location 10th Anniversary Open House
March 19, 2026
We’re celebrating 10 years of serving the Florence community! Join us at our Florence clinic on Thursday, March 19, from 4-6 pm for a special 10th Anniversary Open House.
Enjoy light refreshments, take a guided tour of the clinic, and enter for a chance to win fun giveaways. Stop by to meet our team, learn about our services, and celebrate a decade of helping our patients move better and feel their best!
Recipe of the Month: Yogurt Covered Strawberries
Ingredients:
- 12 strawberries
- 10 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt
- pink food coloring
Instructions:
- Wash the strawberries and pat them dry. No moisture should remain on the berries before dipping them in the yogurt. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large plate or cutting board.
- Place the yogurt in a small bowl and holding onto the green leaves, dip each strawberry into the yogurt. Swirl it around to cover the berry, leaving a little red at the top. Place each yogurt dipped strawberry on the parchment paper. When you have dipped all the strawberries, place them in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Dip the strawberries a second time in the yogurt. To get a gradient of pinks, dip 4 berries in the yogurt with no food coloring, then add a single drop of pink food coloring to the yogurt and stir it till combined. Dip four more berries in the yogurt. Then add another drop of food coloring to the yogurt and stir to combine. Dip the remaining four berries in the yogurt.
- Place the strawberries back in the freezer for 40 minutes to 1 hour. The frozen yogurt will begin melting when you remove the berries from the freezer, so only pull them out when you are ready to serve them.
Teddy Bear Clinic
March 16, 2026
Priority Physical Therapy is excited to participate as a medical partner at the Teddy Bear Clinic! This fun, educational event will be held at the Palmyra Elementary School gym on March 16 at 6:30 PM.
Young children are invited to bring a teddy bear, baby doll, or stuffed animal to join in the fun. Our team will be on hand to provide tips and information on children’s health while helping kids learn about medical care in a friendly, hands-on way. Don’t miss this opportunity to make health education fun for the whole family!
Tips for a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
Your heart works hard for you every day, show it some love with a few simple, feel-good habits. February may be American Heart Month, but these tips are worth practicing all year long:
- Choose heart-healthy treats: Fresh fruits like strawberries or pomegranate seeds, along with small portions of dark chocolate, can satisfy a sweet tooth while supporting heart health.
- Get moving in ways you enjoy: Activities like dancing, walking, or light cardio exercises are great for your heart, and even better when they’re fun and social.
- Make time to unwind: Chronic stress can impact cardiovascular health. Carving out time to relax, whether that’s a warm bath, quiet reading time, or gentle stretching, can make a real difference.
Looking for more ways to support your heart health throughout the year? Our team at Priority Physical Therapy is here to help you stay active, manage stress, and move with confidence. Schedule an appointment with us today!
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