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A Healthy Lifestyle for the Prevention of Heart Disease
You can often have heart disease and not even know it, as often there may be either very vague symptoms or none at all. However, there are symptoms to be aware of that can indicate heart disease and potential heart attack. One of the most common symptoms of heart disease is what doctors refer to as angina. This can be chest pain but may also be commonly felt as discomfort, aching, heaviness, pressure or burning within the chest. It is important to be aware of your heart disease risk, as sometimes these feelings within the chest are thought to be heartburn or indigestion when in reality the individual has heart disease.
Other symptoms of heart disease include shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, fainting and fatigue. The heart may also beat faster and feel as though it is pounding, racing or fluttering within the chest, and you may have irregular heartbeats. In some cases, there may also be swelling in the limbs or a bluish appearance to the skin. All of these symptoms are due to the heart being unable to function in the capacity needed to properly pump blood throughout the body.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and is the reason behind the majority of heart attacks. Half of all deaths within the United States alone are attributed to heart disease. Aging and heredity play an important role in the development of heart disease and are factors that cannot be controlled. However, most cases of heart disease are preventable and controllable through healthy lifestyle changes including following a heart healthy diet.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are major factors in the development of heart disease. Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol down is very important in the prevention of heart disease. You should avoid saturated fats in your diet as much as possible by limiting your intake of red meats and dairy products (such as butter and cheeses). Foods that contain high amounts of fats and oils should also be avoided, and you'll need to limit your intake of caffeine and salt as well. A heart healthy, low-fat diet will reduce your chances of developing high pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease and will promote longevity and better health overall.
Obesity is increasing at astounding rates within the United States and is another major factor contributing to the development of heart disease among the baby boomer and retiree population. If you are overweight, it is important that you develop a weight reduction plan to aid in the prevention of heart disease and avoid other obesity related illness, such as diabetes. You will need to reduce your daily intake of calories along with following a low-fat, high-fiber diet. You should also develop an exercise program designed to promote weight loss.
A sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to heart disease, even if you are at a healthy weight. This makes an exercise program essential for heart health even if you do not need to lose weight. After retirement, you may find that you are much less active than you once were, so this makes it all the more important that you incorporate heart healthy exercise into your daily activities. You should get at least thirty minutes of exercise three times a week at levels intense enough to increase your heart rate. Be sure to choose activities that you enjoy so that you will be more likely to stick with your exercise routine.
Smoking is extremely damaging to the body and causes a wide variety of health problems including cancers and respiratory illness. Smoking cigarettes makes your heart have to work harder and also causes high blood pressure. Smoking is a major factor in many cases of heart disease and heart disease deaths. There are many health advantages to quitting smoking, and this includes substantially reducing your chances of developing heart disease. The longer you go without smoking, the healthier and stronger your heart will become.
Another controllable risk factor for heart disease is alcohol. Studies have shown that moderate drinking of one to two glasses of alcohol per day can actually reduce your chances of developing heart disease. However, drinking more than two glasses of alcohol per day, and especially drinking excessively or binge drinking, will have the opposite affect and raises the levels of fats within the body and the blood causing heart disease.
In the prevention of heart disease, it is also important to control the amount of stress in your life and to deal with stressors in positive, healthy ways. Studies have shown that aggression, hostility and stress are all linked to the development heart disease, so it is important that you reduce the amount of stress in your life as much as possible. Start by identifying the sources of stress in your life and deal with the causes appropriately. You should also learn effective stress reduction techniques, as not all stress can be completely avoided. This will help in the prevention of heart disease and avoid any negative impact that stress can have on your heart's health.
In addition to a healthy lifestyle, it is also important to have regular checkups with your doctor and follow any additional recommendations for heart health. This may include taking prescription medications aimed at lowering blood pressure and cholesterol as well as promoting heart health. You cannot avoid aging or the hereditary factors involved in heart disease. However, you are in control of the majority of other causes and can do a lot in its prevention. You can create a healthier heart and promote longevity with smart lifestyle changes and healthier eating habits. These important changes will also improve your overall health and well-being in many other positive ways and create a higher quality of life.
This article is published with permission from Rachel Snodgrass © 2007. |
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