| Heart Care One of the best things you can do for your body is making sure you properly take care of your heart. Health issues such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, can all lead to more serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes or worse. And while those over the age of 45 are at a significantly higher risk for these issues, following a healthy lifestyle can help ward off unwanted health concerns from happening to you.
Below we've identified six simple changes that are easy to incorporate into your everyday life and will significantly help you protect your heart:
- Get Your Body Up and Moving - Simply going for a walk around the block once a day can go a long way to warding off heart disease. Even if you can only exercise for 10 minutes at a time, incorporating 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine can significantly improve the way you feel, lower your blood pressure and get you on the way to a healthier heart.
- Eat a Healthy Diet - What food you put into your body also plays an important role in lowering your risk for heart disease. Make sure your diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fiber and fish, and cut back on sodium and fat-saturated foods.
- Keep the Pounds Under Control - Extra weight not only increases your risk for heart disease, it also puts extra stress on your joints - making those aches and pains more prominent when you get up. Try to achieve and maintain a healthy weight for your height and keep the belly fat to a minimum.
- Cut Back on Alcohol - If you choose to drink, do so in moderation. Too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure and add on many unwanted pounds.
- Stop Smoking - Smoking and other tobacco products are a major cause of cardiovascular disease. In fact, people who smoke are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as those who don't. Secondhand smoke can also cause heart disease, so if you spouse or other family members smoke, encourage them to stop as well.
For more information, please refer to our Heart Services section or call (765) 983-3255.
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