Making small modifications to your lifestyle can add up and help you live longer and healthier. A cardiologist offers the simple changes you can incorporate into your daily life to help prevent cardiovascular disease.
https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/7-ways-to-make-your-heart-stronger-by-bedtime
Editor’s note: This article was updated from an earlier version posted in August 2019.
A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best recipes to prevent cardiovascular disease. Small changes in your lifestyle can add up and make you live longer and healthier. According to cardiologist Dr. Dean Karalis, whose specialties range from preventive cardiology and clinical cardiology to lipidology and women’s cardiovascular health, many of his patients already know what to do and making these positive changes doesn’t need to be a grand endeavor.
Dr. Karalis offers seven simple changes you can incorporate into your daily routine to make your heart healthier by the time you’re ready for bed.
1. Eat a well-rounded, balanced diet.
A healthy diet consists of eating a variety of foods from all the food groups. The American Heart Association healthy diet emphasizes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes and non-tropical vegetable oils. “You should limit your intake of saturated and trans-fats, red meats, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages and refined carbohydrates,” recommends Dr. Karalis. “The American Heart Association recommends counting calories and knowing how many calories you consume in a day. If weight loss if your goal, you need to use up more calories than you take in.”
2. Don’t sit for too long.
Some jobs are more sedentary than others. If your job doesn’t keep you active on your feet throughout the day, Dr. Karalis recommends making an intentional effort to get up and move to help maintain a healthy weight. “The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week,” he says. “If you don’t have time during the day to exercise, get up and walk around for at least 10 minutes three times during your workday—and always, always take the stairs.”
[Editor’s Note: Don’t think walking is a legitimate form of exercise? Tune into the Living Well podcast to learn just how impactful a 21-minute daily walk is for your health and well-being.]
3. Brush your teeth every day – and don’t forget to floss.
“Inflammation plays a key role in plaque forming in your heart arteries,” explains Dr. Karalis. “Good dental hygiene is a good way to a healthy heart.”
4. Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke.
This goes for cigarettes and vaping products. “Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor not only for heart disease, but also for stroke, pulmonary disease and cancer,” says Dr. Karalis.
5. Snack smartly throughout the day.
Dr. Karalis recommends a healthy snack in the afternoon to his patients—such as a handful of almonds or walnuts. “Certain fruits like apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that fills you up and also lowers your cholesterol,” he adds.
6. Get plenty of sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between seven to nine hours of sleep. Dr. Karalis emphasizes not getting enough sleep can make you feel tired during the day and in turn more likely to crave non-healthy foods that can lead to weight gain.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about sleep mistakes you could be making and how to ensure more restorative rest with Dr. Ritu Grewal on the Living Well Podcast.]
7. Recognize and reduce stress in your life.
“Stress can cause high blood pressure, and is linked to cardiovascular disease,” warns Dr. Karalis. Seek out healthy ways to reduce your stress, such as exercise, yoga, meditation and positive social interaction with friends.
[Main photo credit: Tony Anderson/DigitalVision via Getty Images]
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