Lifestyle Changes To Improve Your Heart Health

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and contributes more than 17 million deaths yearly all around the globe.

One major contributor to these dreary statistics is the inadequate commitment to a healthy, heart improving lifestyle. Fortunately, you can protect your heart and improve your overall health with the right lifestyle choices since some of the risk factors for heart disease are modifiable. Here’s how:

Increase your physical activity

Although vegging out once in a while can be tempting, being a couch potato all the time is a recipe for heart disease. Research has shown that the risk of developing a heart disease increases by 15 percent per day with a period of 2 hours of watching the TV, and longer watching periods further increased the risk. That means the first step you have to take to protect your heart and lower the risk of developing heart disease is to increase your daily physical activity.

As recommended by the American Heart Association, try to be active for at least 30 minutes in a day. You can even break your 30 minutes session into 10-10-10 minute sessions of moderate-intensive physical activities. Regular exercise can help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and help you maintain a healthy weight, which is important since obesity is one of the risk factors for heart disease.

Also, regular physical activity stimulates digestion, reduces stress, and improves blood circulation, which benefits your overall health. If you’re wondering how you can stick with this newfound lifestyle, especially with your busy schedules, you can enlist a co-worker or friend to take a walk with you every day during your leisure time or lunch break. Alternatively, you can use the help of a fitness trainer, and this might be just what you need to stay committed to an active lifestyle.

Manage stress

Studies have shown that stress, as well as long work hours, are one of the factors that can moderately increase the risk of developing stroke and cardiovascular disease. People under stress may start indulging in unhealthy lifestyles like overeating, starting to smoke, or smoking more than they normally would – which could result in further health deterioration. Studies have also shown that the reaction to stress in young adults predicts the risk for middle-age blood pressure – that means we should not take the issue of stress lightly.

Research shows that meditation, yoga, and exercise are promising ways to reduce stress and control heart disease. However, what matters is the approach that works for you. Be sure to follow the right stress-relieving tips.

Also, visiting a chiropractor for chiropractic care is an ideal way to impact your nervous system positively, reduce high blood pressure, and support the overall health of your cardiovascular system. Your chiropractor can help you design a plan that you can use along with a healthy diet and lifestyle to reverse or prevent heart disease.

Quit the habit

Excessive smoking or drinking of alcohol is associated with several potentially fatal health issues such as lung disease, cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Even if you’re free from other risk factors, excessive consumption of alcohol elevates your risk for alcohol addiction, accidents, suicide, and obesity while smoking increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 2 – 4 times. Alcohol consumption can lead to irregular heartbeats and high triglycerides, while smoking can harden the arteries and cause plaque buildup, both of which impact the heart negatively.

However, moderate consumption of alcohol is cardio-protective, especially when you limit the alcohol intake to no more than a drink per day if you’re a woman and no more than 2 drinks per day if you’re a man. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines a standard drink as 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol which is equal to:

• A shot or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquor or spirits (e.g., whiskey, vodka, rum, gin).
• 12 ounces of regular beer
• 5 ounces of wine

If you’re a smoker, find a way to quit the habit, such as going for counseling or the use of smoking cessation aids. Don’t stop trying to quit the habit even if you’ve tried to do so in the past, and you have failed. Remember, quitting the habit now can reduce stress on your lungs, alleviate the stress on your and heart allow your body to recover from its damages even if you already had some health issues caused by smoking.

Maintain a healthy weight

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death for people who are obese and people with severe anorexia, who are extremely underweight. While it is good to watch your daily food intake to avoid obesity, anorexia can result in complications like electrolyte imbalance, low blood pressure, dangerous heart rhythms, which are essential for maintaining a healthy heart.

On the other hand, obesity is related to health conditions caused by low physical activity such as high cholesterol and diabetes and elevates the risk for cardiovascular disease even for people with no other risk factors. To protect your heart from fatigue, disease, and damages, you need to commit to maintaining a healthy weight. When you have a healthy weight, your body maintains the necessary fluid levels, and your blood circulation improves, thus preventing heart strain or fatigue.

Eat healthy

One of the best weapons you can use to combat heart disease is by remaining committed to a healthy diet. The quality and quantity of the food you eat can help to determine whether you develop diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, excessive weight – the factors which can elevate your risk for cardiovascular disease.

To manage or prevent high cholesterol, avoid foods with high saturated fats – such as candies, cakes, and processed meats. The fats contents of these foods contribute to a high level of bad cholesterol, which can result in plaque that can block your blood vessels over time.

Choose foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, fiber, and minerals but low in calories. Go for meals that emphasize the intake of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; avoid red meats, sweets; and include nuts, non-tropical vegetable oils, legumes, fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy product. Also, try to burn as many calories as you consume by coordinating your level of physical activity with your diet to ensure you are maintaining a healthy weight.

Control high blood pressure

In the United States, about one in three adults has high blood pressure, but many of them are not aware of it. High blood pressure is a major deceptive risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke since it does not bring any physical symptoms and is often left uncontrolled. When left untreated, it can result in damage to the blood vessels and internal organs.

The good news is that you can control high blood pressure. However, you need to perform a regular checkup to access your blood pressure levels. A normal blood pressure reading should not exceed 120/80 mmHg. If your blood pressure is too high, increase your physical activity, shake your salt habit, take your medications as prescribed by your doctor and ask him to create a customized treatment plan to protect your heart.

Control high cholesterol

Inadequate “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) and excessive “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL)) can result in plaque build up on the walls of the arteries which leads to stroke or heart attack. Just like high blood pressure, you need a simple blood test to reveal your cholesterol level since it does not have early physical symptoms.

If your bad cholesterol level is high, your doctor can customize a treatment plan that includes exercise, a healthy diet, and medication to protect your heart.

Manage diabetes

Diabetes is another serious health condition that affects more than 8% of Americans. What makes this health condition a serious issue is that it can lead to a chain reaction of other health issues like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing heart disease. In fact, more than 65% of diabetic patients die from stroke or heart disease.

Controlling diabetics is not only important for heart health; it is also important for your overall health. Talk to your doctor to create a treatment plan to manage diabetes, protect your heart, and control other health-related issues like blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol.

Get enough rest

Sleep deprivation negatively impacts your immune system and elevates the activity of the sympathetic nervous system that contributes to cardiovascular disease. It affects your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, inflammation levels, as well as your body’s ability to repair the heart and your blood vessels.

Get adequate night rest, aim for a period 7 – 9 hours per day, which is the recommended sleeping period for adults.

Final Words

You can start making improvements regardless of the condition of your heart health by implementing healthy lifestyle changes. Schedule an appointment with a medical practitioner for physical examination and plan a daily exercise with a healthy eating schedule today.