Table of Contents
Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet
The first thing you can do to lower your risk of heart disease is to ensure you’re eating a healthy diet. Start by ensuring you get a good balance of fruit and veg to ensure your body has all the vitamins and nutrients it needs to function in tip-top condition. Add some oily fish, such as salmon or flax seeds and walnuts, into your diet to ensure you get enough omega-3 oils, which are essential for a healthy heart.
On the opposite side of the healthy eating coin, avoiding unhealthy foods is also essential. Saturated fats are the worst offenders here, as they cause cholesterol to be deposited in your arteries, putting extra stains on your heart.
Cutting down on processed sugary foods and keeping your salt intake in check can also help keep your blood pressure down, which is also an important factor when it comes to lowering your risk of heart disease. Remember, the way to a healthy heart is through your stomach.
Be Physically Active
Your heart is a muscle, and, like all muscles, it needs exercise to stay strong and healthy. Aim to get at least 150 hours of physical activity per week – about 20 minutes per day.
Any type of exercise that raises your heart rate is excellent, too. That can be anything from playing football or going to the gym to taking a brisk walk or doing some gardening. As long as it gets your heart working!
Keep to a Healthy Weight
Being overweight can put a lot of extra strain on your heart and is a significant contributor to high blood pressure, which makes it much harder for your heart to pump blood around your body efficiently.
Additionally, being overweight or obese means increased cholesterol in your arteries, putting even more strain on your heart, and can lead to diabetes, which also increases your chances of getting heart disease.
The good news is that if you’re already watching what you eat and staying active, you’re also well on your way to maintaining a healthy weight.
Give Up Smoking
Giving up smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health, and it can significantly reduce your chances of getting heart disease. In fact, studies show that smoking makes you up to four times more likely to get the condition. Add to that the extra risks that smoking poses, such as increasing your chances of having other diseases or conditions, such as cancer and strokes, and it’s definitely time to consider giving up.
Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol consumption is also a critical factor when it comes to maintaining a healthy heart. Making sure you only drink in moderation and sticking to the guidelines can help keep you healthy. The current guidelines say that sticking to under 14 units is best for your health – about 6 pints of beer or cider or 6 medium glasses of wine per week.
Take any Prescribed Medicines
If you’ve already been diagnosed with any conditions, it can be critical to ensure that you take the medicines you have been prescribed. Such medication can range from drugs like ACE inhibitors, used to control blood pressure and treat heart disease directly, to treatments such as statins, which can help reduce cholesterol levels.
It is highly recommended that you stick to whatever treatments or prescriptions you have been given, and if you have any concerns about the medicines you are taking, that you speak to a healthcare professional before you make any changes to your regime.
Get Help From a Healthcare Professional
If you want to talk to a doctor about any of the issues raised in this article, or you want some help with anything from nutritional advice to giving up smoking, please get in touch. You can contact your local GP, or alternatively, you can book a private GP appointment online.
