Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America. Many people don’t realize they are at risk until it’s too late. If you want to prevent heart disease, you need to learn about your risk factors and change your lifestyle. The more work you put into prevention, the better the outcome will be. Many changes to the body can increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, narrowing of the arteries which both lead to blood clots and heart attacks. You should schedule regular visits to a Plano heart disease specialist to determine if you are at risk. Below are some tips to help you prevent some of the common conditions that affect the heart.
- Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the number one things you can do to prevent heart disease. It keeps your body healthy and helps increase blood flow throughout your body, including to your heart. If you aren’t exercising regularly now, try starting small by taking a short walk every day. Gradually increase how long you walk until you can reach thirty minutes or more everyday.
- Stop Smoking
Something essential you can do to prevent heart disease is to stop smoking or cut way down on how much you smoke. If you are a smoker trying to quit for the first time, try using nicotine replacement products instead of cold turkey. Nicotine replacement options include gum, patches, inhalers, and oral sprays. Nicotine replacement will help you cut down on your cravings and make it easier to stop smoking altogether.
- Check Your Diet
If you are eating a healthy diet, you will be at less risk of developing heart disease. Limiting how much sodium (salt) you eat is essential to good health, especially if you have hypertension or other high blood pressure conditions. Eat more fruits and vegetables. You should limit fat intake as well, but don’t remove it entirely from your diet. You can check out what your daily cholesterol limit should be with this LDL chart. Ensure you are getting the right amount of calories, vitamins, and minerals in your diet to keep your body healthy.
- Maintain Optimum Weight
Being overweight can increase your risk of heart disease. If you want to reduce your weight:
- Avoid crash diets and instead, try changing small things in your diet. For example, drink water instead of soda or juice, or add more fruits and vegetables to each meal. If you aren’t already doing so, you should also find an exercise routine that includes cardio and strength training.
- Remember that it can take several months to lose weight, so don’t give up if you have trouble.
- Just keep working on making better choices for your diet and lifestyle.
In summary, heart disease ranks among the most common causes of death, and it comes in many different forms. You can prevent heart disease by controlling the risk factors. For instance, you can quit smoking and maintain a healthy weight. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly can also help you prevent heart disease. Additionally, you should visit a specialist for monitoring if you are at risk.
