From what you eat to how much you move, your lifestyle shapes the health of your heart. The American Heart Association (AHA) offers seven suggestions for healthy changes you can start making today.
Comprised of the major modifiable risk factors that contribute to heart disease, the AHA Life’s Simple 7® can empower you to take charge of your heart health. Here’s how:
- Manage blood pressure. This can reduce your risk for a variety of cardiovascular conditions, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. Your heart and brain aren’t the only organs that benefit from healthy blood pressure—high blood pressure can also negatively affect your eyes and kidneys.
- Control cholesterol. Managing cholesterol can prevent or slow the accumulation of plaque in blood vessels. Too much plaque contributes to coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular problems.
- Reduce blood sugar. This can help prevent diabetes, which is a risk factor for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Get active. Physical activity helps your heart pump and blood vessels transport blood more efficiently. Aim for at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week.
- Eat better. Orient your diet around vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean sources of protein, such as fish and poultry. Avoid foods high in trans and saturated fats, sodium, and sugar.
- Lose weight. This can ease your heart’s burden, as excess weight may force it to work harder to send blood to the rest of the body.
- Stop smoking. Studies have shown that kicking the habit can cut your risk of death due to cardiovascular disease by half or more, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
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