Give Up Unhealthy Habits To Cut Your Heart Disease Risk

Most people post-pandemic have become sedentary due to all the lockdowns and other such measures that restricted a whole lot of their activities to curb the spread of the virus. But it’s high time you gave up your sedentary behaviors or unhealthy habits to lower your heart disease risk, which is the leading killer in America. It isn’t as complex as it may seem to adopt healthy measures. As a matter of fact it’s extremely easy to make healthy lifestyle choices and stick to it, you just need to put your mind to it. Adopting heart-healthy habits will help you manage the major risk factors, including high blood pressure and high LDL “bad” cholesterol, which are at the forefront in causing someone to develop heart disease.

Blood pressure management- First and foremost, undergo screening for your blood pressure to see if you have hypertension. It isn’t easy to diagnose high blood pressure since there are no obvious symptoms. When your BP is consistently high, it places a great amount of stress on the heart and arteries. Discuss the steps to manage hypertension if your numbers are above 130/80.

Manage cholesterol- Exercise and a healthy diet can help tamp down your LDL (bad cholesterol), which can clog the arteries that feed the brain and heart, increasing risk for a stroke or heart attack respectively. In terms of diet, avoid full-fat dairy foods and red meat at all costs while increasing intake of whole grains and fruits and vegetables. Devise a workout plan in consultation with your doctor, which must include 30-40 minutes of exercise, five days a week.

Quit smoking- This is a no-brainer. Give this habit up and see the results in no time in terms of improved ticker and overall well-being.

Cut back on alcohol consumption too.

Calm your nerves- When you are stressed, your heart too is stressed, so learn to manage it well. Meditate, perform yoga, practice mindfulness to calm your nerves.

Remember to not fall for any poorly tested claims or information when it comes to fitness in terms of diet and exercise, especially something you find on social media. When it comes to fitness, a host of myths and misconceptions float around on social media, so you should not fall for it without scrutinizing the information shared. Do not follow anything blindly. Consider information coming only from reliable sources. Don’t forget to consult your health care provider for any doubts.

Aside from living a healthy lifestyle, it is equally important you are aware of some life-saving procedures, such as CPR, to be able to handle any out-of-hospital cardiac emergency efficiently. Proper application of the procedure (chest compressions and rescue breaths) can revive a sudden cardiac arrest victim. You can train in CPR at the AHA accredited CPR Memphis in Tennessee in the hands of American Heart Association certified instructors. To sign up for a CPR class, call CPR Memphis in Tennessee on 901-438-4200. Classes are held at 8014 Club Center Drive Suite 8 Cordova, TN 38016.