How to Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the top leading health conditions in America today. Although risk factors, such as family history can’t be changed, there are a few steps you can take to protect your heart’s health:

Eat a healthy diet. It may seem obvious, but making changes to your diet can significantly impact your overall health and help lower your chances of heart disease. Make it a habit to add plenty of vegetables and fiber-rich whole grains to your meals (or choose them for afternoon snacks). Fish oil (omega-3s) should also be ingested at least twice per week, even if that means taking supplements. 

Create a workout routine. Staying active is one of the most essential ways to strengthen your heart and prevent disease. Choose a fitness routine that best fits your schedule and physical limits and stick to it. Listen to your body and know when it’s time to change up your routine, whether that means speeding it up or slowing it down. 

Avoid smoking. By now, you’re well aware that smoking is bad for your health. But did you know that secondhand smoke is just as hazardous to your health (if not, more)? In fact, non smokers are up to 30 percent more likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer due to secondhand smoke. With that being said, try to stay away from restaurants and other facilities that enable smoking, and ask loved ones to smoke outside your home and vehicle.

Maintain your stress levels. Research shows that long-term stress can increase your heart rate and and blood pressure. And as a result, your may cause harm to your heart’s healthy by damaging the artery walls. If you find yourself feeling stressed on a regular basis, take a look at your busy schedule and prioritize. What can be sacrificed and what is necessary? Once you sort through your schedule and learn new stress management techniques, you can boost your quality of life (and health).

Preventing heart disease means making smart choices when it comes to your health. Without a healthy diet, exercise, and precaution, your health could suffer. So consider these steps as more of a necessity to keep your heart and strong for years to come!

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we pride ourselves in the multitude of services and procedures that we offer to our patients in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Comprised of eight leading doctors in the surgical field, our team is committed to providing exceptional services by using state of the art technologies while upholding our traditional values of caring and quality.

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