Your heart it a vital organ that works for your entire life. While cardiovascular disease may be the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, there are plenty of lifestyle changes you can adopt to ensure optimal heart health. By leveraging the following heart healthy tips, you may be able to manage your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and other heart diseases.
Heart Healthy Tips that Seniors Can Adopt Now
Exercise
Perhaps one of the most effective tips to follow for a healthy heart is to incorporate exercise into your routine. To improve your heart health, focus on aerobic exercise. Seniors aged 65 and older are encouraged to set aside at least two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise per week, or about one hour and fifteen minutes or more vigorous exercise per week.
Aerobic exercise can include walking, jogging, swimming, biking and dancing. You can also incorporate physical activity into your everyday routine, if it isn’t already. This can include small gestures such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or waking or biking to your destination instead of driving.
Eat Right
Along with maintaining a healthy weight, a healthy diet supports a healthy heart. One eating plan specifically designed to help manage blood pressure is called DASH. DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, focuses on healthy food sources and limits red meat, sodium and sugar-heavy foods. This eating plan, promoted by both the American Heart Association and Mayo Clinic , emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, low-fat dairy products and protein sources, including skinless poultry and fish and nuts and legumes.
Talk to Your Doctor
Schedule at least annual appointments with your doctor to maintain and check in on your health. Your healthcare provider can offer you a wealth of information when it comes to keeping your heart healthy. Discuss healthy lifestyle habits that make sense for you and ask them to check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, if they weren’t planning to do so already.
Avoid the Following Habits
Not every activity or circumstance is going to be good for your heart. Besides taking part in heart-healthy activities and eating the right foods, here’s what you should also avoid:
- Smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease, which happens when plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries and narrows them, resulting in reduced blood flow to your heart muscle.
- High Levels of Stress. Cleveland Clinic finds that stress can lead to high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, irregular heart rhythms and artery damage. All these factors can increase your risk of heart disease.
- Foods High in Trans Fat and Saturated Fat. These unhealthy fats can increase your cholesterol levels, which build up plaque in your arteries and can increase your risk of heart disease.
Find a Healthy Lifestyle at Heritage Senior Living
At Heritage Senior Living, our person-centered life enrichment program offers a variety of engaging events and activities for residents. We incorporate regular physical activity, engaging and challenging mental exercises, uplifting spiritual services and exciting social events into our diverse calendars. Through these activities, you’re able to experience a heart-healthy lifestyle right within the community.
Interested in learning more? Contact our expert team today.
