Many people don't realize that there is more than one way you can reduce your risk for a heart attack. Even though we all know about being active and eating a healthy diet, we can miss some easy ways to protect ourselves. So instead of focusing on what you should not do, let's take a look at 12 ways you should be doing each and every day.
1. Eat a healthy diet
Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women now worldwide and if you have a family history of heart disease, you may be more at risk than others. There are many ways to prevent heart attack and stroke, but the most important steps are to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
Eating a healthy diet is the best way to reduce your risk for heart disease. You should limit your intake of saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium. The American Heart Association recommends eating no more than 30 percent of your total daily calories from saturated fat; 2 grams per day of trans fat; 150 milligrams per day of dietary cholesterol (the amount in one egg); and less than 2,300 milligrams per day of sodium (the amount in an ounce of table salt).
2. Exercise regularly
Exercising regularly, even if you don't feel like it, is one of the best things you can do to prevent a heart attack.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. If you're active, you'll be less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than someone who's inactive.
But even if you don't want to exercise, it's still very important to eat a healthy diet and get regular check-ups with your doctor. Your doctor can help you decide what kind of exercise is right for you and how much exercise is too much.
3. Maintain cholesterol
One of the most important ways to prevent a heart attack is to maintain your cholesterol level. This can be done by:
• Eating a low-fat diet. Eating a low-fat diet reduces the amount of saturated fat in your body and also helps control blood cholesterol levels.
• Eating more unsaturated fats and fewer saturated fats for example Unsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil, are healthier than saturated fats, such as butter, meat fat, or coconut oil.
• Avoiding trans fatty acids in food preparation by using liquid oils instead of solid fats, such as margarine or shortening. Trans fatty acids are found in some prepared baked goods, fried foods, and other processed foods.
• Reducing dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day (2 grams). If you have high cholesterol levels or if you are at risk for heart disease because of family history (heart disease runs in your family) or high blood pressure, talk with your doctor about whether you should limit dietary cholesterol to less than 300 mg per day overall foods eaten.
4. Don't smoke
Smoking is the leading cause of heart disease, and it can also increase your risk of dying from heart disease. The best way to protect yourself from a heart attack is not to smoke.
Smoking causes narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to your heart. This makes it harder for your heart to pump and beats more slowly, which increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
If you're a smoker and have recently had a heart attack, consider quitting. Quitting will improve your chances of survival after a heart attack by reducing stress on your body's arteries, which helps prevent permanent damage from occurring.
5. Maintain a healthy weight
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and it's also the leading cause of death in people with diabetes and atrial fibrillation (a condition that causes irregular heartbeats).
For people who are overweight or obese, losing weight is one of the most important things you can do for your heart health.
If you're obese and want to lose weight, here are some ideas:
Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; lean sources of protein such as fish and beans; low-fat dairy products; and healthy fats such as olive oil or flaxseed oil.
Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity helps lower blood pressure, improves insulin sensitivity, and reduces inflammation throughout your body. Get 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most days of the week — that's 50 minutes a week of aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking), or 20 minutes a day that includes muscle-strengthening activities like lifting weights or doing pushups or situps. If you can't get enough physical activity during your workday, consider adding an extra 20 minutes per day to your lunch break (or even going home for lunch).
6. Make stress management a priority
Stress management is a key part of preventing heart attacks.
If you're looking for ways to prevent heart attacks, you may be tempted to turn to quick-fix approaches like drugs or surgery. But these can have dangerous side effects and may not work as well as other approaches.
Instead, experts say it's best to focus on stress reduction — even if that means starting with small steps.
Some tips to manage your stress:
Set priorities
Make sure you have clear goals and objectives for your day, week and month, then prioritize your activities based on what's most important. This helps you avoid doing things that aren't essential and lets you know when an activity is no longer necessary or productive. If possible, delegate tasks so you won't be overwhelmed by them.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise has been shown to reduce stress levels, improve quality of life and help people live longer lives. Even moderate exercise can help — either 30 minutes a day or 3 times per week — but it's important not to overdo it or push yourself too hard because this can also increase risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels
7. Manage your blood pressure
A healthy heart is essential to living life to its fullest. However, if your blood pressure is high, you can be at risk for heart attack or stroke.
Managing your blood pressure with medication and lifestyle changes can help prevent these diseases and reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events.
Reduce high blood pressure by eating a healthy diet that includes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; reduce salt intake; exercise 30 minutes a day; and manage stress.
8. Be aware of diabetes
Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, but you can take steps to reduce your risk.
People with diabetes are more likely to die of heart attacks or strokes than people without the disease. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found that people who had diabetes were 20% more likely to die from heart disease or stroke than those without it.
9. Work out regularly
Working out regularly can help to prevent heart attacks, according to the American Heart Association.
Regular exercise may also help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which are risk factors for heart disease. Mind it, the more you exercise, the greater benefits will be. Exercise is particularly helpful for people who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
In addition, regular exercise helps control weight by burning calories and increasing insulin sensitivity, which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
If you're physically active, you may think that your heart rate is too low to rise further. However, research shows that this is not true. People who work out at high intensities — such as jogging or running — also have a higher resting heart rate than people who don't work out at all or do very little exercise.
10. Choose healthy foods
The American Heart Association recommends that you choose healthy foods in addition to limiting your sugar intake.
Consume more fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. They also contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber that can help lower cholesterol levels.
Choose whole grains over refined grains
Whole grains contain all the nutrients in their original forms — such as protein, B-vitamins, iron, and magnesium — whereas refined grains have been stripped of most of these nutrients during processing. Whole grains are a good source of vitamins and minerals as well.
Limit sodium intake
Sodium is one of the main contributors to high blood pressure, which may lead to heart disease over time. You should limit your daily sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day (about 1 tsp).
11. Limit saturated fat
A diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In addition to being a major risk factor for heart disease, saturated fat can also lead to other problems like cancer and diabetes.
Saturated fats are found primarily in red meats and full-fat dairy products such as milk and cheese. Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, such as corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, and canola oil. Soybean oil has the lowest amount of saturated fat of all vegetable oils at less than 1 gram per serving.
Avoiding saturated fats will help you prevent heart disease by lowering your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack.
12. Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do to prevent heart disease. It’s well known that people who sleep less than six hours on a regular basis are at a greater risk for developing diabetes or high blood pressure, both of which are linked to heart disease. Getting just an hour more of sleep each night can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by as much as 20 percent.
Sleep also helps regulate your body’s hormones, which play a key role in regulating blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, it’s important to talk to your doctor about getting treatment for those conditions and improving your overall health by getting more exercise, eating healthy foods, and managing stress.
Conclusion
It is easy to take your heart for granted if you feel nothing is wrong with it. Always try to pay attention to the signs of a heart attack and be aware of this. A good diet, regular exercise, and moderate drinking are the best ways to avoid a heart attack. It is also less stressful to avoid one because constant worry about a heart attack makes you tense and jittery.
You may like to read: 9 Easy Ways to Stop Smoking
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