Heart Disease is still one of the enormous risk factors for most people, but there are still some steps that you can take to reduce your risk for all kinds of heart disease:
- Always know your body mass index and weight. If your body mass is over 25, it can mean you are at an increased risk for heart disease. Even with a slight reduction in these numbers could lead you to your cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and blood pressure seeing an improvement.
- Keep a check on your blood pressure. For an excellent healthy blood pressure, it should be under 120/80. If your blood pressure is elevated, it puts an extra strain on your heart and arteries which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. If it is elevated, your physician can help you formulate a plan just for you to help lower it.
- You should determine your present risk of heart health and your risk factors. There has been a helpful online health tool developed by the American Heart Association called ‘My Life Check.’ It has been designed for you to understand where you are with your cardiovascular health, figure out your separate health needs, commit to how to improve your quality and health of life and get you closer to your health goals.
- If you do smoke, then QUIT! The use of tobacco will increase your risk for stroke and heart attack significantly. By quitting smoking, you will slash your risk of heart disease. The carbon monoxide that is in tobacco smoke lowers the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. The nicotine will cause the blood pressure to increase as well as your heart rate. Over some time, it puts a lot of “wear and tear” on your heart and vascular system. Being smoke-free is the best way to be.
- To have a healthy lifestyle, you must adopt healthy habits like managing stress, eat smart, and exercise to prevent heart disease. You can make small changes that overall will have a significant impact on your health.
If you will assess the risk factors you have, look at your family history, make some healthy changes in your lifestyle and work with your primary care doctor, you will reduce your chances of heart disease drastically. Heart disease might be the number one killer of both sexes in the United States, but it can be prevented. You need to make time to put your heart health first and let it be a priority in your life.
Don’t let yourself be a statistic. Keep a check on your body mass index and weight, watch your blood pressure, know your risk of heart health and what your risk factors are currently and what you can do about them, quit smoking, adopt a healthy lifestyle as soon as possible. Stay healthy for your family. You owe them that.