Can you reverse and even prevent having a heart attack? The answer is yes, with positive actions and lifelong habits that will keep you healthy. The following list of important lifestyle habits will show you many factors that will keep your heart healthy and working fine.
One of the most important ways to prevent heart disease is to get moving. Exercise lowers inflammation, helps to take off weight and redistribute weight, and also reduces the feeling of stress. If you cannot do a full out 90 minutes at one time, spread the exercise out over seven days, and make the commitment to do this every week. Studies have found that exercise does not have to be done all at one time to be beneficial. The key is to have the regular exercise and not to miss working out in a manner that makes you feel good. This could be aerobic, such as tennis or basketball or it could be weight lifting or house cleaning. You can even vary the exercise week by week and keep your weekly exercise fun.
Controlling blood pressure is another important issue to many Americans. A high blood pressure will make your heart work harder and can create a major risk factor in having a heart attack if not controlled. Have your doctor check your blood pressure with each visit and also make sure that his recommendations are followed. He may recommend exercise, a prescription, or other general health ideas because he knows your whole health outlook. Listen to his thoughts and take action as blood pressure is very important to your overall heart health.
An often overlooked way to control your risk of a heart attack is as simple as staying calm. A person who is constantly worrying about things they cannot control is a person who has a chance of developing heart disease. You can lower stress in many ways, find the right way for you. Maybe it’s a walk in a garden, writing in a journal, or listening to music that you like. Whatever it is, try to end each day with a calming activity. When feeling nervous practice thinking calming thoughts and reducing stress.
Diet can also contribute to heart disease. We all know to limit fat in our diet and to get our cholesterol checked regularly. You want the good, or HDL, levels to be high and the bad, or LDL, to be low. Reducing Trans fats and hydrogenated oils will get the cholesterol levels that are recommended by your doctor.
Reading a food label becomes important to overall health and especially to preventing heart disease. Eat low in fat and cholesterol. Every label in the grocery store is written for a person on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Adjust your daily intake to meet your nutrition goals. You will want to keep fat to 20-30% of your daily calories and carbohydrates to about 130 per day. It is important to eat whole grains as they not only prevent heart disease but help in maintaining and preventing diabetes. Keeping salt or sodium content within a normal range of about 2,000 mg a day will help a great deal to prevent heart and stroke problems.
Overall, there is no reason not to take simple steps to maintain your heart and general health. Some of these recommendations are simple to incorporate into your daily living and most can become a habit very easily. Remember, no one else cares as much about your body as you should. It is the only one you have and it is your decisions that will influence the quality of your life now and in the future.
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To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
SKype: Monique371
mentormonique@gmail.comR