9 Steps To A Healthier Heart
You and your heart have one life together! Foster that bond and get the most out of your life together by adding more heart healthy things to your lifestyle. Every step counts, and a little bit goes a long way!
Here are 9 steps you can take towards a healthier heart:
- Stop or decrease the amount you smoke or vape. Your risk of heart attack or stroke reduces the moment you quit.
- Move your body more. Physical activity can reduce your risk of a heart attack. Even small changes to your activity level can
- Manage your stress. Stress is known to have a huge impact on your heart. Find ways to decrease stress in your life or learn to manage it by creating calmness like practicing yoga, meditation and focusing on deep, consistent breathing.
- Only drink alcohol in moderation. Heavy drinking increases cholesterol and triglycerides which is linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. It can also increase blood pressure and lead to weight gain.
- Get a good night’s sleep. The lack of sleep could result in high blood pressure. Work towards 7-8 hours of restful sleep each night.
- Eat healthier. Increasing healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, good proteins and whole grains along with decreasing your intake of salty, fatty, sugary and processed foods can go a long way to improving your health and your heart.
- Stay up to date with regular well-visits with your doctor. Developing a baseline with your doctor helps them to know when something abnormal is going on. Detecting problems early, means that there is a higher chance of treating the issue.
- Maintain a healthy body weight. Knowing your BMI and setting goals to achieve a healthy weight with your doctor can decrease your risk of heart disease.
- Control your cholesterol and blood pressure. Cholesterol causes strain on your heart, resulting in high blood pressure and potentially heart disease. By following steps 1-9, you are already doing your part to keep your cholesterol down. Lowering your cholesterol and high blood pressure by not smoking, getting enough physical activity, being less stressed, limiting alcohol, getting restful sleep, eating a balanced diet, talking to your doctor and maintaining a healthy weight are great steps to controlling your cholesterol and blood pressure. This gets you on the right path to a healthier heart.
