February is National Heart Health Awareness Month, but that doesn’t mean that cardiovascular disease prevention is limited to February. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, so it’s important to know what you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Monsur Ali, DO, and our team at Candid Primary Care in Coppell, Texas, have a passion for heart disease prevention, which is why we recommend that all adults over the age of 20 undergo routine screenings for heart disease. Depending on your personal needs, Dr. Ali recommends lifestyle modifications, and if needed, medication to help reduce your risks.
In the meantime, here are five things that you can do to protect your heart health.
Exercise
The American Heart Association recommends that adults exercise 150 minutes each week. That’s about five 30-minute workouts each week. Exercise provides many benefits for your mental and physical health, and that includes your heart health too.
Exercise improves your muscles’ ability to extract oxygen from your blood. This, in turn, reduces the need for your heart to pump additional blood to your muscles. In other words, exercise makes your cardiovascular system more efficient in delivering blood to where it needs to go.
Exercise also helps you lose weight, and because obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, exercise and weight management are critical for heart health. Exercise also helps regulate your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Any physical activity that gets your heart rate up is good. Walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, hiking, aerobics, and rowing are just a few examples of heart-healthy exercise.
Focus on fat
Fat is one of the three macronutrients that your body needs to function optimally. Unfortunately, not all fat is created equally. Some fat hurts your heart, while some can help it.
Good fat
Choosing the right type of dietary fat can go a long way in helping protect your heart health. Good fats are called monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. Healthy fat choices include walnuts, avocados, fatty fish, chia seeds, and plant-based oils such as olive oil.
Bad fat
Trans fats and saturated fats can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Avoid refined or processed food, ice cream, high-fat cuts of meat, and any food or snack that contains margarine or partially hydrogenated oils.
Note: Saturated or unsaturated refers to the bonds between the hydrogen molecules in each fat.
Monitor your sodium intake
Sodium pulls more fluid into your bloodstream, and if you consume too much sodium, it can pull in too much fluid and contribute to high blood pressure. If you’re concerned about your blood pressure or your heart health, monitor your sodium intake. According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should consume no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium. That’s 1100 milligrams less than the actual average intake!
Sodium hides in many sneaky places, such as canned soup, crackers, bread with yeast, cold cuts, and pizza.
Tip: If you need help tracking sodium, consider using an app that tracks macro and micronutrients.
Manage underlying conditions
One of the best ways to protect your heart is to manage any underlying condition that affects your heart health. Diabetes, for instance, can increase your risk of developing heart disease, but that’s not the only one.
Gum disease, anxiety, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can all have negative impacts on your heart if left untreated. If you know you already have high blood pressure, for example, work with Dr. Ali to lower your blood pressure through diet, exercise, and/or medication.
Reduce stress
Chronic stress isn’t good for your mind or your body. Regarding your heart, chronic stress can increase your risk of high blood pressure. Stress can also lead to missed workouts, stress eating, and poor sleep 一 all things that wreak havoc on your heart. The good news is that you can adopt stress management techniques right now. One of the best things you can do to reduce stress is to practice deep breathing. Deep breathing shifts your body out of flight-or-fight mode and into a more relaxed state. And you can practice deep breathing exercises anywhere, anytime.
Other tried-and-true stress busters include:
- Exercising, ideal for reducing cortisol
- Focusing on a hobby
- Reading
- Listening to relaxing music
- Getting enough sleep (poor sleep can make it harder to manage stressful situations)
- Practicing yoga
- Meditating
Think about one of these stress management techniques you want to try today.
Schedule your preventive screening
You don’t need to wait for signs of trouble to appear before you focus on your heart. We offer preventive services right here at our office. In the spirit of heart disease prevention, call us or book your cardiovascular screening online today.