5 Medication Free Strategies to Help Prevent Heart Disease:
1) Don’t Smoke or Use Tobacco Products: tobacco smoke contains more than 4800 chemical, and many of them can damage your heart and blood vessels!
2)Get Active! Things like gardening, housekeeping, taking the stairs, and walking the dog all count towards your daily total exercise. You don’t have to exercise strenuously to achieve benefits, but you can see bigger benefits by increasing intensity, duration, and frequency of your workouts!
3)Eat a Healthy Diet! Choose foods low in fat, cholesterol, and salt. Saturated fats and trans fats increase the risk of coronary arter disease by raising blood cholesterol levels. Add more fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, and low-fat dairy to your diet! And don’t forget about getting in those healthy Omega 3 Fatty Acids (fish oils)!
4) Maintain a Healthy Weight: In general, Men are considered overweight if their waist is greater than 40″, and women are considered overweight if their waist is greater than 35″. Even small reductions in weight can be beneficial. Reducing weight by just 10% can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level, and reduce your risk of diabetes.
5) Get Regular Health Screenings! Optimal Blood Pressure is less than 120/80. Cholesterol Levels should be checked at least once every 5 years.