What’s usually associated when it comes to heart disease is obesity or old age that’s beginning to set in. But it’s recommended by health experts, however, that you begin assessing and monitoring the health of your heart as early as your twenties.
What needs to be guarded are the various known risk factors associated with heart disease, and then taking the recommended preventative measures to effectively manage it.
There are some factors which you’re not able to change, such as, your gender, age, health, and heredity. But what you’re able to control are some of the known risk factors which can delay the onset of potential heart disease.
Research has provided evidence that just maintaining a moderate level of physical fitness throughout your life, preferably beginning at an early age, can reduce the risk of heart disease while extending one’s life.
What’s recommended is getting a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity daily, which then sets off a chain reaction of effectively lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, while maintaining weight.
So what you need to include is an adequate dose of daily exercise and make it as enjoyable as possible. So go cycling, jogging, a power walk, take your dog to the park, or meet your friends at the fitness gym for yoga or pilates.
After a while, the exercise will develop into a habit and become routine. If you’re completely new to exercising, always begin slow such as 10 minutes or so of exertion per day, and then gradually build up your stamina to 30 minutes a day.
After a while, you’ll begin to look and feel better, improving your heart and the quality and the length of your life.
Steps For Preventative Heart Disease
Controlling High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, which is also known as hypertension, is the single biggest risk factor when it comes to a stroke. Stroke happens to be the No. 3 killer as well as a leading factor for disability in North America.
Lowering The Levels Of The “Bad” Cholesterol
The bad high cholesterol levels in the blood will put you at an elevated risk of heart disease leading towards heart disease. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise and a proper diet are the initial steps to begin.
Also reduce the intake of saturated and trans fats, sodium, and dietary cholesterol which are found in processed foods, as they all contribute towards lowering bad cholesterol in the blood. Usually just exercising and a proper diet alone aren’t effective enough.
Depending on the results of blood work performed by your doctor, what may also be prescribed is taking cholesterol lowering medication, especially if the numbers are high.
Lowering Stress Levels
Moderate stress in our lives is necessary and also impossible to avoid since it’s a part of what motivates us to do something. But how you handle this stress makes a significant difference on the health of your heart and how your body reacts to it.
If you happen to deal with your stress through overeating, for instance, or from smoking or excess drinking, you’re obviously placing yourself at a risk for high blood pressure, weight gain, and a potential stroke.
So what you need to do is to learn how to effectively manage and channel your stress, or decrease the various stress points in your life which can help you make better decisions while improving the quality of your life.
Adopting A Healthy Diet
What a healthy diet does is it will lower your bad cholesterol and blood pressure levels along with helping you in maintaining an ideal healthy weight.
Make sure that your diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean natural protein, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, and the healthy fats such as omega-3 and monounsaturated fat.
Avoid those foods which are high in trans fat and saturated fat. Consult with a nutritionist or dietitian to help you in designing a specific healthy eating plan suited to your body composition, which decreases your risk of heart disease.
Stop Smoking Go Cold Turkey
Smoking cigarettes when we were young was a declaration of our independence and a passage of right claiming that we were reaching adulthood. But we also know that it’s on the top of the list when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
Not only does smoking do extreme damage to your health, but secondhand smoke harms unsuspecting nonsmokers around you, including the elderly, your kids, and your pets.
According to health experts, there are close to half a million smoking related deaths every year. So instead of becoming a fatal stat, get yourself involved in a quit smoking program if you’re a smoker. You’ll then significantly reduce the risk of heart disease for everyone.
Controlling The Consumption Of Alcohol
There’s been arguments that having a glass of wine on a daily basis is beneficial for better heart health. Excess drinking however can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Drinking to excess raises one’s blood pressure while adding empty calories to your diet which results in obesity, making losing weight a lot more difficult.
So if you do drink, then limit yourself to just one drink a day. What one drink refers to is: 1-1/2 fluid ounces of 80-proof hard liquor, 1 fl oz of 100-proof spirits, 1 bottle of beer, 1 – 4 fl oz glass of wine.
If you avoid drinking alcohol altogether, then don’t begin. If you happen to be pregnant, it’s then especially advised that you stay away from alcohol altogether.