7 Steps To Better Heart Health

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are seven steps we all can take to prevent heart disease.

This blog post will discuss all seven and give examples of ways to accomplish each step. Let’s begin.

• Eat healthy

This is easier said than done, as many delicious foods may not be the best for us in the long run. The key is to remember that all food is fuel for your body. Some foods just provide more nutritious, long-lasting benefits.

For example, a Snickers bar may help you at the moment if you haven’t eaten and you’re hungry. If your sugar crashes, it could give you a boost. But too many Snickers bars could hurt your body. Leafy greens are a great addition to your diet. A Harvard Health article states, “Dark, leafy greens are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, as well as, several phytochemicals (chemicals made by plants that have a positive effect on your health). They also add fiber into the diet.” You can read about more ‘superfoods’, in addition to the aforementioned leafy greens, here.

You just have to remember that there are no bad foods. There are ‘sometimes-foods’ and ‘all-of-the-time foods’. A Snickers bar is a sometimes-food. Leafy greens would be considered all-of-the-time foods. Give yourself some grace and consult your doctor. You will find a way to incorporate what your body needs into your diet.

• Get active

  This goes along with eating healthy. Find methods of exercise that you could enjoy. Walking, running, dancing, riding a bike, yoga, martial arts, and going to a gym are only a few of many examples. The point is to get your body moving. You don’t have to be amazing right away. You just have to start. There will be times when you don’t feel like being active. If you physically can, do it anyway. Your heart, lungs, and other muscles and organs will thank you for your consistency. When you exercise, it releases endorphins. These endorphins will help relieve stress and improve overall mental health, according to the Mayo Clinic. Read about three exercises that help with heart health, here.

• Stay at a healthy weight

  A healthy weight looks different for every person. Genetics play a role, but they are not the ultimate deciding factor, as “healthy environments and lifestyles can counteract gene-related risks.” (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) Consult with your doctor about a healthy weight range for you. Maintaining a healthy weight is important because the extra “pounds themselves can cause heart muscle injury.” (John Hopkins Medicine)

• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke

  Smoking “causes one in every four deaths from cardiovascular disease” and secondhand smoke “causes nearly 34,000 deaths from coronary heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers.” (CDC)

• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure

  If your blood contains too much cholesterol, fatty deposits could develop in your blood vessels. As these deposits grow, they make it hard for blood to flow to the arteries. If one of these deposits breaks, a clot could form and cause a stroke or heart attack. (Mayo Clinic)

  Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, happens when the pressure inside the arteries is too high. The heart has to work harder to combat that pressure. As the heart works over time, the heart muscle thickens. If it gets too thick, the heart will not get enough oxygen. This causes chest pain, also known as angina. Blood vessel walls also thicken with hypertension. The risk of heart attack or stroke increases when this is combined with a bloodstream containing too much cholesterol. (Penn Medicine)

• Drink alcohol only in moderation

  Drinking too much alcohol can cause high blood pressure. (British Heart Foundation)

• Manage stress

  Too much stress can lead to an increase in “blood cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and blood pressure.” (University of Rochester Medical Center) Ways you could manage stress well include but are not limited to, making time to do something relaxing, deep breathing techniques, yoga, and meeting with a therapist.

  Great job! By reading this blog post you have taken a step towards better heart health - becoming more educated on action steps you can take.