Heart Disease Causes and Healthy Lifestyle Prevention Benefits

People with heart disease are living longer, more productive lives than ever before. But prevention is still the best weapon in the fight against heart disease. As with anything in life, there are no guarantees.

You could do all the right things and still develop heart disease, because there are so many factors involved. But your benefits of living a healthier lifestyle could delay it for years or minimize its damage.

Whether you are healthy, at high risk for heart disease, or survived a heart attack, the advice to protect your heart is the same.

Get moving and maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise improves heart function, lowers blood pressure and blood cholesterol, and boosts energy. And being overweight forces your heart to work harder.

Vigorous exercise like running or doing aerobics brings more health benefits than lighter intensity activities. Walking is a great form of exercise, just make that walk brisk to get your heart rate up and give you a solid workout.

Stick to a nutritious, well-balanced diet.
This advice might make you groan if your usual lunch consists of cheeseburgers with french fries or pizza slices topped with sausage. A heart-healthy diet means a diet that’s:

A heart-healthy diet should be the routine. Making a high-fat diet your routine is asking for trouble.

Control your blood pressure.
High blood pressure causes your heart to work extra hard and hardens artery walls, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Poor eating habits and physical inactivity both contribute to high blood pressure. For some, table salt increases average levels of blood pressure ~ try the DASH diet. If lifestyle changes alone don’t bring your blood pressure within the normal range, medications may also be needed.

Control blood cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance in the blood. High levels of triglycerides, another form of fat in the blood, can also indicate heart disease risk. The only way to find out your cholesterol levels is to go to a doctor and have a blood test.

People ages 20 and older should have cholesterol measured at least once every five years. If lifestyle changes alone don’t adequately budge cholesterol levels, medications may be needed.

Prevent or manage diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches, and other nutrients into energy. One in three people who have diabetes don’t know they have it.

Minimize stress.
The link between stress and heart disease isn’t completely clear, but what’s known for sure is that stress speeds up your heart rate. And those with heart disease are more likely to have a heart attack during times of stress.

As stated at the beginning, there is no guarantee you won’t get heart disease even if you do follow a heart healthy lifestyle. However, there is no doubt you will benefit by feeling better with these prevention measures.

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