Stuff 4 Better Living

Heart Disease may be the leading cause of death for men and women, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it as your fate. You can’t change some risk factors — such as family history or age, but there are some key heart disease prevention steps you can take. Avoid heart problems in the future by adopting a healthy lifestyle today. Here are five heart disease prevention tips to start with.

1. Don’t smoke or use tobacco products
Smoking or using other tobacco products is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. When it comes to heart disease prevention, no amount of smoking is safe.

The good news  is, that when you quit smoking, your risk of  heart disease drops dramatically within one year.  No matter how long or how much you smoked, you’ll start healing as soon as you quit.

2. Get active
Regularly participating in moderately vigorous physical activity can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease. Physical activity helps you control your weight and can reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. It also reduces stress, which may also be a factor in heart disease.

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet
Eating a special diet called the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan can help protect your heart.  Following the DASH diet means eating foods that are low in fat, cholesterol and salt. The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products that can help protect your heart. Legumes, low-fat sources of protein and certain types of fish also can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Heart-healthy eating isn’t all about cutting back. Most people, for instance, need to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet — with a goal of five to 10 servings a day. Eating that many fruits and vegetables can not only help prevent heart disease but also may help prevent cancer.

Following a heart-healthy diet also means drinking alcohol only in moderation — no more than two drinks a day for men, one a day for women. At that moderate level, alcohol can have a protective effect on your heart. Above that, it becomes a health hazard.

4. Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, your weight gain is mostly fat rather than muscle. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease. Even small reductions in weight can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 10 percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes.

5. Get regular health screenings
High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your heart and blood vessels. But without testing for them, you probably won’t know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

Prevention is the name of the game

Heart disease is often avoidable. Following a heart-healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated. Find ways to include heart-healthy habits into your lifestyle — and you may well enjoy a healthier life for years to come.