9 Strategies to Reduce Your Chance of Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In the United States, a heart attack occurs every forty seconds. Even though the statistics on heart disease are alarming, those without underlying cardiac issues may generally prevent heart disease.
Nevertheless, there are obstacles and a number of risk factors—such as age, sex, or family history—that are unavoidable. Furthermore, some people lack access to foods high in heart health, while others are unable to visit a doctor to learn more about their current state of health.
Most of the time, with easy lifestyle modifications like the nine actions shown above, the average person can greatly lower their risk of heart disease.
1.Go for a Daily Stroll
Cardiovascular exercise is a first line of defense against heart disease, according to decades of studies. Walking is a quick, straightforward method of getting aerobic exercise, and you can use a treadmill almost anyplace, both indoors and outdoors.
Walking is a less vigorous cardio exercise than cycling, jogging, hiking, or other forms of cardio exercise, but studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, compared to other forms of exercise, walking is more likely to be maintained over time, according to study, making it more beneficial over the long term (remember, no exercise is beneficial if it isn’t maintained).
If you want to further enhance your health, you can always walk farther and faster.
2.Do Strength Training Many Times a Week
The majority of studies on exercise and heart health have concentrated on aerobic activities like walking. Resistance training is one more strategy to lower your risk of heart disease, according to a growing body of studies. Even more noteworthy are the findings of a 2018 study that demonstrated doing weightlifting for less than an hour a week could lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke by as much as 70%, independent of aerobic exercise.
Johns Hopkins Medicine believes that this significant outcome is likely related to the way weightlifting alters your body’s composition. Weightlifting aids in fat loss and muscular growth. Any activity that lowers body fat is beneficial as it is a major risk factor for heart disease.
To begin strength training, you don’t need a gym membership or expensive equipment. At home, bodyweight workouts like lunges, push-ups, and air squats offer the same strengthening advantages.
3.Consume Heart-Healthy Meals
Improved heart health is directly linked to a variety of delectable foods. Heart health is generally promoted by a diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats from nuts, seeds, fish, and oils. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are also suitable options if fresh produce isn’t available (just watch how much salt you eat when eating canned meals).
4.Limit Heart Disease-Related Foods
Conversely, a number of foods are directly associated with heart disease. Limit high-fat and high-sugar foods like potato chips and store-bought desserts to lower your risk of heart disease. Heart-harming substances can also be found in highly processed foods, such as most fast food, processed meats (such as hot dogs and cured meats), and boxed snacks like crackers and Twinkies.
In particular, keep an eye out for two frequent essential ingredients that are bad for your heart: high fructose corn syrup and trans fats (hydrogenated oils). Trans fats raise triglycerides and “bad” cholesterol in the blood, and high-fructose corn syrup contributes to a number of comorbidities and risk factors for heart disease.
As an aside, science has disproved the misconception that heart disease is solely caused by saturated fat, so don’t be afraid of it. Saturated fats are present in a lot of healthful foods, like cheese and avocados. Although processed meals frequently include high levels of saturated fat, it’s more important to watch out for trans fats and refined carbs.
5.Give up Smoking
By now, everyone knows that smoking is unhealthy in general. Your heart is not an anomaly. The Food and Drug Administration states that one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes, is cigarette smoking.
Smoking affects your blood chemistry and thickens blood, causes plaque to accumulate in your arteries, and irreversibly damages your heart muscle and blood vessels. These are just a few of the ways that smoking harms your cardiovascular system. Even a single cigarette can have a significant negative impact, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
6.Restrict Alcohol Consumption
In general, excessive drinking is detrimental to every bodily system.
Particularly in terms of heart health, alcohol consumption has been connected to a number of cardiovascular conditions, such as stroke, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and peripheral artery disease. The precise correlations differ significantly based on the volume and consumption pattern.
According to the American Heart Association, moderate drinking is fine as long as you don’t go over the recommended daily intake of one drink for women and two for men. Furthermore, it’s unclear how red wine and heart health are related.
7.Reduce Your Stress Levels
Scientists have found a link between stress and heart health, but further research is required to determine the precise mechanism by which stress leads to heart disease. First of all, long-term high levels of stress can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms like excessive alcohol or fat intake, smoking, or overindulging in high-fat or high-sugar foods. Additionally, stress impairs your body’s capacity for relaxation and sleep.
Researchers have even discovered a unique and distinct kind of heart attack known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which is often referred to as “broken heart syndrome” and stress cardiomyopathy. Although emotional trauma has been connected to this illness, many patients show no clear etiology.
Never undervalue how stress affects your heart. Even while stress is often inescapable and inevitable, it might be helpful to have a few go-to strategies for relieving stress when things get very tight.
8. Make Sleep a Priority
Exercise would definitely come in second place to sleep if there were a wonder medication. Because of the inverse correlations between the duration of sleep and cardiovascular disorders, scientists have identified sleep deprivation as a risk factor for heart disease: It appears that your chance of experiencing cardiovascular events increases with decreasing sleep.
Heart disease has also been connected to sleep apnea and insomnia, and blood pressure appears to be directly impacted by the quantity and quality of sleep. Inadvertently, loss of sleep raises the risk of heart disease by making people less motivated to exercise and choose unhealthy foods.
9.Visit Your Physician and Maintain Your Medical Records
Make time to see your doctor annually if you can to ensure everything is in working condition.
You may monitor your heart health more closely by getting a blood panel that tests for blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, and other vital indicators. If you do not have a primary care physician, find out if basic blood tests are available by calling the closest walk-in or urgent care facility. Using an at-home blood pressure monitor at the very least allows you to get a sense of how you’re doing. Maintain a close eye on your medical records so you can see any trends or changes over time.
Asking questions of your doctor is a good idea if there are any signs of heart disease developing. Make sure you get the meaning of the figures, any lifestyle adjustments that may be necessary, and whether any drugs are prescribed. You can achieve great things by advocating for your own health.
