Staying Heart Healthy All Year Long
As heart health month comes to a close, it is a great time to be reminded that your heart health matters all year long–not just in February. There is no better time to raise awareness on how important cardiovascular health is to your overall well-being and longevity. Let’s look at our FRESH 5 tips for creating lifestyle habits that support your heart health. FRESH Is an acronym for: Food, Relaxation, Exercise, Sleep and Happiness, your five ingredients in your recipe to health.
Lifestyle as Medicine
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Over fifty percent of Americans have two or more cardiovascular risk factors that exponentially multiply the chances of suffering from heart disease. Poor diet, stress, inactivity, lack of sleep and being unhappy are the most frequent risk factors, but these are not the only ones. Managing your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes are vital in helping to prevent heart disease. We have a lot more control over our health through our lifestyle choices that can positively affect our heart health. Here are our FRESH 5 Tips.
#1 Food Tip: Eat Healthy
What is a heart-healthy diet? Eating healthy for your heart means a diet based on eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, avoiding added sugars and trans fats, and limiting the intake of saturated fats in favor of unsaturated fats (fish, avocados, nuts, and olive oil). These dietary habits are the basis of the Mediterranean Diet, which helps control hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol levels.
#2 Relaxation Tip: Destress
Stress and stress symptoms affect your health, even though you might not realize it. Constant stress has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including heart disease. Stress seems to trigger inflammation, a known contributor of heart disease. Clinically, seventy-five percent of all doctors’ offices are stress related.
A recent Cleveland Clinic survey found that one third of Americans did not know that stress – in addition to high blood pressure, obesity and smoking – can increase the risk of developing heart disease. Identify sources of stress in your life and look for ways to reduce and manage them. Meditate. This practice of inward-focused thought and deep breathing has been shown to reduce heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure. Find ways to destress. Simple things, like a warm bath, listening to music, or spending time on a favorite hobby, can give you a much-needed break from the stressors in your life. Just breathe.
#3 Exercise Tip: Get Moving
Together with a healthy diet, physical exercise is the best way to keep our cardiovascular health in shape. Regular physical activity not only prevents heart disease, but it can also improve the quality of life for those who are already affected. People who practice some physical activity regularly for 30 minutes, three times a week, considerably reduce their risk of suffering from heart disease. In fact, most health agencies recommend being active for 150 minutes per week.
Incorporating regular physical activity doesn’t have to mean going to the gym. For example, consider going for walks; take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalators; park your car farther away than usual; get off the train or bus one stop earlier; blast some music and bust a move to your favorite song. Exercising not only helps you destress, it also protects against heart disease by lowering your blood pressure, strengthening your heart muscle, and helping you maintain a healthy weight.
#4 Sleep Tip: Get Enough Rest
Getting the right amount of sleep our body needs is essential for optimal health. A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, concluded that people who, in addition to leading healthy lifestyle habits such as regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy diet, also sleep a minimum of seven hours a day, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 65%. The same study estimated that in those people the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is reduced by 83% compared to those who do not follow any healthy lifestyle.
#5 Happiness Tip: Connect with others
A recent published study revealed that social isolation and loneliness independently increased cardiovascular disease risk by 8% and 5% respectively. Social isolation and loneliness are a growing public health concern as they are associated with health conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease including obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Sadly, during COVID-19, many people experienced social isolation and loneliness. A study revealed as much as a 27% increase in heart disease risk in postmenopausal women who experience both high levels of social isolation and loneliness. By nature, we are social beings. Let’s all try to reconnect as we emerge from this pandemic. Individuals who feel lonely or socially isolated can find information about steps to help reduce these feelings from the National Institute on Aging.
Take the opportunity to learn more about what you can do to prevent heart disease. Making small changes to achieve a healthier lifestyle can make a huge difference. Stay FRESH!