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5 Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Heart Health This Fall
From before you’re born and throughout your life, your heart constantly beats to ensure oxygenated blood flows to all of your organs. You rely on your heart to stay alive, so it’s never a bad time to adopt or refine heart-healthy habits.
This fall, board-certified internist and cardiologist Jeffrey H. Graf, MD, encourages you to make five easy heart-healthy lifestyle changes. At his private practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, Dr. Graf invites you to schedule a physical exam to check in on your cardiovascular health.
A heart-healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk for chronic conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Prevent heart disease and related conditions by making these five smart lifestyle changes.
1. Get more rest
Let’s start with an easy one: Getting more rest. Sleep and rest are vital for your heart health and overall health. Today’s culture encourages an on-the-go lifestyle, but it’s important to balance productivity with sleep and stress reduction.
Although sleep requirements are individualized, most adults need at least seven hours of restful sleep every night. If you usually run on less than that, try making sleep a priority and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule. Too little sleep can elevate your blood pressure and put you at risk for complications like a heart attack or heart failure.
Similarly, stress from a busy lifestyle can also be a risk to your heart health. Try making time for stress reduction techniques like mindfulness and meditation during the day and before bed. Reserving time to spend with friends and family can help reduce stress, too.
2. Limit sodium
Many diet changes can help maintain heart health, but to keep this guide simple, we’re going to focus on one. Sodium, or salt, is an electrolyte that’s beneficial in small amounts, but consuming too much salt is hard on your cardiovascular system.
Many food options are higher in sodium than you might think, which explains why most people in the United States take in about 50% more salt than the recommended daily requirement.
Here are some tips for reducing your sodium intake for better heart health:
- Avoid sprinkling extra salt on your food before eating it
- Read food labels and choose “less sodium” or “sodium-free” options when possible
- Cook most meals at home, as restaurant foods tend to have more salt
- Rinse canned vegetables and legumes to remove as much sodium as possible
Dr. Graf can give you more tips for modifying your diet if you want your food choices to be more heart-healthy.
3. Exercise every week
Experts suggest that most adults should aim for a total of two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week to support their heart health.
You have some freedom here with what this might look like in your life. You could choose a sport you enjoy, like tennis or basketball. Or you may fit a brisk walk into your mornings before work.
Any type of moderate-intensity movement is beneficial for your heart health — helping to lower your cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, and manage your weight.
4. Quit smoking
Avoiding cigarettes might be easier said than done, especially if you’ve smoked for years or decades of your life. However, quitting smoking is one of the best steps you can take to improve your heart health and longevity.
Smoking cigarettes increases your risk for heart disease as well as complications like heart attack and stroke. If you lean on smoking to reduce stress, Dr. Graf can help you find alternative stress reduction techniques.
5. Cut down on alcohol
Like smoking, alcohol is something many people use to mitigate stress. But over time, a drinking habit damages your cardiovascular system and puts you at risk for heart disease. Alcohol can cause an irregular heartbeat, increase your blood pressure, and contribute to high triglycerides.
You may choose to stop drinking entirely, or you can cut down to just one drink a day if you’re a woman or two if you’re a man.
Dr. Graf takes care of each patient as an individual and gets to know you so he can give you personalized tips for improving your heart health. This fall is a great time to improve your health. Schedule an appointment online or over the phone today.
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