[8-minute read - or listen to the podcast, download below]

Heart illustration by Cat Watson Art

Heart disease has a bIt of a PR problem: too many of us quietly file it under “men’s health issues” and move on with our lives, reassured by lack of symptoms and good intentions. The reality (especially, but not only) in Scotland is far more sobering: heart and circulatory disease remains one of the leading causes of death in women, and progress in reducing deaths has slowed in recent years.

I don’t say this to alarm you. No, rather I share it to raise awareness - because most of the risk for heart disease is modifiable, if we only knew what to do to modify it!

In other words: while we can’t control everything about our biology or our past, we have far more influence over our future heart health than we’re often led to believe.

Why women’s heart health still gets missed

Women are more likely to be under-diagnosed and under-treated for heart disease than men. Part of this is historical: medical research and diagnostic pathways were built around male bodies and “classic” male symptom patterns. Add in the fact that women’s symptoms can be more subtle or varied, and it’s easy to see how heart problems can be minimised, misattributed to stress, or picked up later than is ideal.

Take your own symptoms seriously and advocate for yourself. If something feels off, get it checked!

There’s also a social layer. Women are disproportionately juggling caring roles, work, and emotional labour, which means our own health can quietly drop down the priority list. The result? We often delay getting checked, and we’re less likely to advocate for ourselves in clinical settings.

Read that again: we’re less likely to advocate for ourselves in clinical settings.

[Note to self: hearts don’t do ‘subtle’ well ;-) Go in with knowledge and expect to be heard.]

None of this is about blame. It’s about understanding the context and choosing to work with it, rather than against it.

The hopeful truth: most risk is modifiable

When we look at what actually drives heart disease, the biggest contributors are not exotic genetic quirks. Here in Scotland, they’re everyday factors: high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diet quality, smoking, excess weight and blood sugar regulation.

This is actually good news in disguise. It means heart health is not reserved for people with perfect genetics or saintly lifestyles. It’s built, slowly and imperfectly, through ordinary choices that are repeated often enough, consistently enough, to matter.

💗 Three habits that quietly do a lot of heavy lifting

If heart health feels overwhelming, start here!

These three behaviours punch well above their weight:

1. Know and manage your blood pressure

High blood pressure is the single most powerful modifiable risk factor for heart disease.

Many people feel completely fine while their blood pressure is creeping up. Regular checks (at your GP, pharmacy, or with a home monitor) turn an invisible risk into something you can work with. Lifestyle changes matter here. You know the ones - movement, sleep, stress, salt intake.

And medication, when needed, is not a failure. Take it! It’s a tool.

2. Move most days and lift a little

You don’t need a fitness identity overhaul to help your heart.

Brisk walking counts. Gardening counts. Dancing in the kitchen counts. Aim for regular movement most days, and add two short strength sessions a week if you can. Strength work isn’t about aesthetics; it supports blood sugar control, blood pressure, muscle, bone, and long-term independence. Think “future me will thank me” rather than “I must become a gym person”.

Although if do decide you want to become a gym person, read this post about how I finally became a gym goer at the age of 60.

3. Eat for your heart, not for perfection

A Mediterranean-style pattern is a kind, evidence-based default: vegetables, pulses, wholegrains; olive oil, nuts, fish; fewer ultra-processed foods; a gentle eye on salt.

This isn’t about dietary purity. It’s about feeding fibre, supporting healthy cholesterol levels, and making the “heart-supportive” choice the easy and repeatable one.

The unsung protectors: sleep, stress and consistency

Heart health isn’t built on food and movement alone.

Chronic poor sleep will nudge both your blood pressure and your appetite in the wrong direction. And chronic stress keeps the nervous system in a low-grade state of threat that doesn’t play nicely with cardiovascular health. Gentle self-regulation - of things like daylight exposure, regular bedtimes, pauses in the day, moments of connection - quietly compounds over time.

And if you’ve been prescribed medication for blood pressure or cholesterol, taking it consistently is one of the most powerful protective behaviours available. Lifestyle and medication aren’t rivals - think of them more like teammates.

A word on life stages: menopause is a heart health moment

The menopause transition is often framed purely in terms of symptoms.

It’s also a cardiovascular moment. Blood pressure, cholesterol patterns and insulin sensitivity can shift during midlife, even if nothing else in your lifestyle has changed. This isn’t something to fear. Maybe think of it as a prompt, instead.

It’s a good time to check your numbers, revisit habits, and give your heart a little more intentional support.

Red flags: when to stop being stoic

Heart symptoms don’t always look dramatic.

Chest pressure, pain in the jaw, arms or back, breathlessness, nausea, cold sweats or sudden light-headedness can all be signals. If something feels off, get checked. You’re not wasting anyone’s time by listening to your body.

Small, steady changes beat heroic overhauls

If there’s one idea I’d love you to take away, it’s this: heart health is not built through grand gestures.

It’s built through small, steady choices that feel almost underwhelming in the moment — the walk you nearly skipped, the blood pressure check you finally booked, the meal that was “good enough” rather than perfect.

None of us controls everything about our heart health. But all of us can influence something positively. And that “something”, done kindly and consistently, is where your long-term heart protection lives.

Listen to this article

More

1. Want to work with me? You can explore my coaching options or register for my free Heart-to-Heart Clinics by clicking on the links below.

2. Find more posts on the Heart

3. Where to start? Complete this self-reflection questionnaire on your Wellness Risks and Rewards. It’ll help you work out your priorities.

4. Feeling overwhelmed with wellness? Read this blog post on Reclaiming your Agency first and then download my free 10-Minute Reset.

5. Want a quick chat about any of this? Or want to make a comment or suggestion? Here’s how to connect with me.

   1. Chat via the ‘chat’ button on my website at any time. (Bottom right hand corner.)

   2. Send me your questions, suggestions, or comments by email.

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Heart-to-Heart Clinics, held monthly on a Sunday, live on Zoom

💗 7pm 22 February: Heart

• 7pm 29 March: Health Risks and Rewards

• 7pm 26 April: Bone & Muscle

• 7pm 31 May: Brain

• 7pm 28 June: Nutrition

• 7pm 26 July: Age & Stage I (30s and 40s)

• 7pm 30 August: Age & Stage II (50s and 60s)

• 7pm 27 September: Mindset

• 7pm 25 October: Sleep

• TBC November: Legacy

• December: no workshop.

More Resources

Have you visited the Go Well Stay Well Library, yet? It’s being added to each month, but you can already find content in there that will help you to:

• Get started (and then keep going)

• Understand the stages and emotions around change