Healthy Habits to Prevent Heart Disease

While things like family history and age cannot be controlled, there are a variety of risk factors that can lead to heart disease, many of which can be minimized by making lifestyle changes. Once you have identified these risks in your life, develop a plan for how you can begin eliminating them. Remember that change is important, even if it is gradual. Check out these healthy habits you can incorporate to lower your risk of heart disease.

• Incorporate a workout plan into your routine. Exercise is a great way to keep your heart healthy and prevent heart disease, as well as other health issues. Try to work out at least 30 minutes each day, whether you’re walking the dog or doing yoga.
• Change your diet. Find ways to include more vegetables and fruits in your meals, as well as whole grains, healthy protein, herbs, spices, and unsaturated fats. Remove processed foods, bad carbohydrates, red meat, sugary drinks, and salt.
• Get to a healthy weight. Exercising and eating a healthy diet should assist you with this. Having additional weight on your body makes the heart work harder and can cause diabetes. Losing just five or ten percent of your body fat might not seem like a lot, but it can hugely impact your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
• Quit smoking. Smoke from pipes, cigars, and cigarettes is bad for your heart just like it is bad for your lungs. If you are currently a smoker, quitting is one of the biggest steps you can take towards a healthier heart. Secondhand smoke is also dangerous, so if a loved one you are around frequently is a smoker, encourage them to give it up.
• Drink alcohol in moderation or not at all. Men should have no more than one or two drinks per day, while women should have no more than one.

While you can’t rewrite your family’s health history or prevent yourself from aging, you can make sure you’re living the healthiest lifestyle possible. Come up with a plan for how you can make these changes today and prevent heart disease in your life.