Sometimes we feel it when something is wrong with our heart, and sometimes we don’t.
A heart attack has some well-known symptoms. But with high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease, we don’t feel a thing.
This is why it’s important to monitor things like blood pressure and cholesterol through annual checkups with a primary care physician.
It’s just as important to make healthy choices, like nutritious food and regular exercise. Because when it comes to heart health, there are risk factors we can’t control, and some we can.
There are steps we can take to improve heart health:
- Know your family history of heart disease. This is one risk factor we can’t change. If you have close blood relatives with heart disease or conditions like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you can be more likely to develop the same conditions. Making healthy lifestyle choices and getting regular checkups with your doctor can help you stay on top of your heart health.
- Quit smoking. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for heart disease. And not just cigarettes, but e-cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and smokeless tobacco. If you need help to quit, talk to your doctor and sign up for a smoking cessation program.
- Exercise. Regular exercise is a key part of maintaining a healthy heart. The minimum amount of exercise recommended by the American Heart Association is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking) a week. If you haven’t exercised for a long time, be sure to talk to your doctor about how to start exercising safely.
- Eat healthier. Processed food isn’t great for heart health. Experts recommend eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, focusing on low-fat dairy, consuming less saturated and total fat and reducing sodium (stay under 1,500 mg of sodium a day, which is associated with the greatest reduction in blood pressure).
- Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity can lead to high cholesterol, diabetes and stroke. If your BMI is higher than 30, you should speak with a doctor about a plan to achieve a healthier weight.
- Track your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose. High blood pressure (130/80 and higher) is a big risk factor for heart disease. High cholesterol (above 200 mg/dL) plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of the arteries, which in turn raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. And keeping blood glucose below 100 will help prevent prediabetes (100-125) or diabetes (126 and above), which can damage nerves and blood vessels, and lead to heart disease. If any of these numbers are high, they can be treated with diet, exercise and even medication.
Heart disease isn’t inevitable. Even if you’re facing multiple risk factors, you can take steps to improve your heart health. Talk to your doctor about your heart and the best ways you can keep it healthy for years to come.