Heart-Healthy Living

One of the best things you can do to lower your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke is to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle changes are one of the best ways to protect yourself against heart disease and stroke. They reduce your risk of heart disease and can make your body stronger and healthier overall. 

Here are some essential lifestyle changes you can make for heart-healthy living.

If you smoke, now is a great day to stop! It can be tough to stop smoking, but each day you go without smoking is another day you are helping to improve your heart health. 

Second-hand smoke isn’t good for you either, so if you live with someone who smokes, encourage them to quit smoking. 

Quitting smoking requires a plan. Here are a few tips to help you achieve this. 

• Try nicotine replacement therapy.
• Attend counseling aimed at helping you quit smoking.
• Build a support group around you.
• Work to find other ways to reduce and deal with stress in your life.
• Engage in more physical activities.
• Find something else to chew on to keep your mind away from smoking.
• Avoid situations that trigger you to smoke.

If you need help quitting smoking, Dr. Ahiable can work with you to develop a personalized plan that works for you.

Physical activity is incredibly vital for your overall health. But at a minimum, some movement is better than no movement. 

Start slow and build it up over time if you are not physically active right now. Start by parking your car further from the store and taking a few extra steps. Get into the habit of taking a short walk around the block. Find practical ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. 

Physical activity can help decrease the chance of developing heart disease. If you already have heart disease, exercising can help reduce your chance of severe complications from heart disease, having a heart attack, or requiring a surgical heart procedure. 

According to the CDC, physical inactivity increases your risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends you engage in 2.5 hours of heart-pumping physical activity per week. 

The AHA also recommends you engage in muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week and spend less time sitting. 

The more activity you can engage in, the better. Even just standing when watching your favorite television shows, or getting up to walk around during each commercial break, is better than sitting for an extended period.

Work to maintain a healthy weight for your body. Work with your doctor to determine your body's healthy body mass index (BMI). 

Then, work to create a reasonable plan over time to help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight can go a long way towards keeping your heart healthy.

Don’t underestimate the impact of stress on your life. Stress can cause physical discomforts, such as an upset stomach and sweaty hands. It can also increase your risk of heart issues by increasing inflammation in your body. 

Stress can also indirectly impact your heart health by affecting your sleep, food choices, and exercise choices. Stress can harm other healthy lifestyle choices you would typically make. 

It is important to recognize where stress can enter your life. Specific situations such as getting divorced, the end of a serious relationship, and pressures at work can be sources of significant stress. 

The key is to identify when stress comes into your life and work to decrease it. There are lots of ways to do this:

• You can get professional help or counseling to deal with stress. 
• You can use stress to motivate healthy habits, such as exercising, instead of taking you away from them. 
• You can take up activities that calm your body, such as yoga, meditation, or knitting. 

The key is finding ways to manage your stressor, so it doesn’t harm your life. 

If you have diabetes, you are twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke than someone who doesn’t have diabetes. That is because high blood sugar can cause damage to your blood vessels and nerves that control your heart. 

To avoid such complications, manage your insulin levels, and keep your blood sugar within the target range set by your doctor. Additionally, it is a good idea to keep your blood pressure within target and manage your cholesterol level. 

Keep your diabetes under control to take care of your heart. 

You must carefully follow your doctor’s directions while taking any medications. This is especially important if you are taking medicines for conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, all of which put you at significant risk for heart disease. 

Make sure you carefully manage and monitor your medical condition(s) to keep your heart in the best shape. 

Your body needs to stay well hydrated, and drinking water is the best way to do that. 

If you like to drink sugary drinks, work on replacing them with water. Add fruit to your water to give it a little more flavor and make the transition to drinking less sugary drinks easier. 

If you drink alcohol, make sure you do so in moderation. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking is one drink or less daily for women and two drinks or less daily for men.

These are just a few tips to help you live a healthier lifestyle that protects your heart. 

Schedule a cardiology consultation with Dr. Lilian Ahiable at Sydnor Cardiovascular Center today to learn more about how to protect your heart health. 

At Sydnor Cardiovascular Center, we provide expert care for people with all types of cardiac concerns. Entrust care for your heart to Dr. Ahiable and the team at Sydnor Cardiovascular Center.

To schedule an appointment, call us at 727-300-2282 or request an appointment online.