4 ways to help prevent health risks
You can better manage heart disease when you take care of your whole health. Try these tips to keep you feeling your best.
Watch your sugar and salt
Unfortunately, two of the things our taste buds crave lead to high blood pressure. High blood pressure leads to irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and stroke. Lower your risk by cutting back on sugar and salt. Start by limiting foods with added sugar and choosing products with “low” or “reduced” sodium.
Find time for activity
Regular physical activity does more than keep your heart strong. It helps keep blood sugar steady, which lowers your risk of diabetes. Make exercise part of your daily routine. Help your heart by getting 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Aim to get these 30-minute sessions in 5 days each week. To lower your blood pressure or cholesterol, aim for 40-minute sessions. Moderately intense exercise gets your heart and lungs working. The effort is somewhat hard. Brisk walking, water aerobics, bicycling, and dancing are good examples.
Review your medications
Give your medications an annual checkup. Make a list of all the prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, cold remedies, vitamins, supplements, sleep aids, and any others you take. Review with your doctor or pharmacist and stop medicines you no longer need.
Check in on yourself
It’s natural to sometimes feel worried or saddened by having heart disease. But if those feelings won’t go away, it could be a sign you have depression. Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much? Feeling sad or hopeless day after day? Talk about it with your doctor. Depression, like heart disease, can be treated.
Healthy Changes
- Start your day with oatmeal with fruit added instead of sweetened cereal.
- Swap the cheese slice on a sandwich for a slice of avocado.
- Go with whole grain versions of waffles, bread, and pasta.
- Snack on dry-roasted unsalted nuts instead of salted nuts.
