Let’s start this discussion about boosting cardiovascular health with two important statistics: 1) Heart disease is the leading cause of death in our country; and 2) a whopping 90% of heart disease is preventable.
Now let’s combine these two statistics about heart disease with a third — nearly half of Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease.
Given these stark realities, our team of heart health specialists here at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists thought we’d tackle some habits that aren’t doing your cardiovascular health any favors.
One of the worst habits for your cardiovascular health is leading a sedentary lifestyle. Your body is meant to move, and everything works better when you do, from your joints to your heart.
So, if you’re leading an inactive life, it’s time to get moving. You can start slowly and add some walking to your day — begin with 15 minutes and work up to an hour, an ideal amount of daily exercise.
There are also ways to sneak some exercise into your day by parking a little further from where you need to go and taking the stairs whenever possible.
We want you to look at the list of ingredients for foods you eat regularly and consider that you are what you eat.
If your diet favors processed and junk foods full of preservatives, fats, and sugars, you’re eating calorie-rich and nutrient-poor food. As a result, your cardiovascular health pays the price as these foods clog your blood vessels and promote weight gain.
For your heart’s sake, we’d prefer that you go in the opposite direction and focus more on nutrient-rich foods that are low in trans and saturated fats, as well as carbohydrates and sugars. This means focusing on a diet that concentrates on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins.
Let’s face it, stress and anxiety levels are reaching new heights these days, and living in this state isn't great for your heart health. Stress makes your heart work harder, so it’s important to find ways to de-stress, such as going for walks, getting together with friends, and practicing deep breathing exercises.
If you smoke or vape, please know that these are strong risk factors for heart disease. As well, moderate-to-heavy drinking can also increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.
If your sleep habits are erratic, this can affect your heart health. Ideally, you should be getting between seven to nine hours of restorative sleep each night. A great way to get this is to go to bed around the same time each night and reduce distractions when you’re in bed (namely, screens).
If you heed our advice and add some exercise to your day, you’ll find that this movement will go a long way toward improving your sleep.
To conclude, we want to point out that all our suggestions here will work together to improve your cardiovascular health, as well as many other areas of your health. So, start to work on these bad habits, and you’ll see improvements in your overall well-being.
If you have more questions about habits that might be harmful to your cardiovascular health, we invite you to come in and sit down with one of our specialists. To set that up, please contact our office in Mountain View, California, to schedule a visit.
