Heart disease causes problems with your heart and blood vessels, and can lead to a heart attack or stroke. If you’re at high risk for heart disease, it’s essential to take steps to keep your heart healthy. These simple heart disease prevention strategies are proven to keep your heart healthy。
An Annual Wellness Exam
It’s essential to meet with your primary care doctor at least once a year for a wellness exam. You’ll get a complete physical examination, with heart screening tests based on your risk factors. These may include:
A blood pressure check.
Blood tests to check cholesterol and glucose levels.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure the electrical activity of your heart.
Based on your test results and risk factors, you may need medicine to help manage your cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar. It’s essential to take these as directed. They’re an important part of heart disease prevention.
Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet
Your diet is one of the most important controllable risk factors for heart disease. That means the foods you eat most frequently can either raise or lower your risk. A heart-healthy diet includes ample amounts of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, plus healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, and avocados.
Be Physically Active
Regular exercise strengthens your heart and blood vessels. Adults should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise each week, but even a little bit helps. Remember that little activities like taking the stairs instead of an elevator and going on short walks can add up over time. Also, try to include two to three days of strength training exercises each week.
Quit Smoke
Cigarette smoke damages your heart and blood vessels. It can also raise your blood pressure, cause an irregular heartbeat, and increase plaque build-up in your arteries.
Smoking causes one in every four heart disease deaths, so it’s essential to talk to your doctor about ways to quit.
Go Easy With Alcohol
Although some studies have suggested a benefit to red wine, other studies question if any amount of alcohol consumption is safe. Alcohol raises your blood pressure, adds extra calories, and can interact with some medicines.
The American Heart Association recommends that men have no more than two drinks a day; women should stick to one. And keep in mind that one drink is 5 ounces of wine, a 12-ounce beer, or 1.5 ounces of distilled (hard) alcoholic beverages, like liquor.
Manage Your Stress
Everyone experiences stress, but we don’t all react to it in the same way. For many people, chronic stress raises blood pressure and the level of stress hormones like cortisol. It also interferes with sleep and healthy eating.
You can’t eliminate stress. But with the help of mind-body therapies like meditation, you can manage it. Talk to your doctor who can help and can also prescribe medicine if it’s appropriate.