How can you live a longer, healthier life? These 7 key factors can help you lower your risk of heart attack and stroke if you’ve never had one. They’re part of an overall healthy lifestyle for adults. And they can help you build a powerful prevention plan with your health care team (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, registered dietitians, and other professionals).
1. Eat a healthy diet
Center your eating plan around vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins and fish. Make smart choices like limiting refined carbohydrates, processed meats and sweetened drinks. Use the nutrition facts label on packaged foods to cut back on sodium, added sugars and saturated fats, and avoid trans fat.
2. Exercise regularly
There are many advantages of exercising, including protecting the heart and enhancing your circulation. It will also help you sustain a healthier weight and lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. Thus, preventing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
3. Watch your weight
Stay at a healthy weight for you. Lose weight if you’re overweight or obese. Start by eating fewer calories and moving more. You can check your body mass index (BMI). If you need help, talk to your health care team about a weight loss plan.
4. Live tobacco-free
Cigarette smoking decreases good cholesterol and increases blood pressure, which causes stress in the heart’s arteries and is one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease and stroke. When you stop smoking, your blood circulation and oxygen supply improve, which lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.
5. Limit alcohol consumption
Drinking alcohol in excess will increase your blood pressure. Additional calories are then added, which can induce weight gain—all of these increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. People who drink must do so in moderation and also in a responsible way.
6. Manage conditions
If you have high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, high blood sugar, diabetes or other conditions that put you at greater risk, it’s very important to work with your health care team and make lifestyle changes. Many conditions can be prevented or managed by eating better, getting active, losing weight and quitting tobacco.
7. Take your medicine
If you have a health condition, your doctor may prescribe statins or other medications to help control cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. Take all medications as directed. But don’t take aspirin as a preventive measure unless your doctor tells you to. If you’ve never had a heart attack or stroke, a daily aspirin may not help you at all and could cause problems including risk of bleeding. If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, your doctor may want you to take a low dose of aspirin to reduce your risk of having another.
