According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women in the United States. They are two of the many cardiovascular diseases that kill nearly 500,000 women each year. You can keep your heart healthy by following these 10 simple steps:
Make an appointment with your physician.
Get your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked.
Talk to your doctor or meet with a registered dietician to discuss ways you can reach or maintain a healthy weight.
Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit. Here are four steps to snuff your smoking habit: Day 1 – cut the number of cigarettes you smoke in half. Day 3 – cut the number in half again. Day 5 – cut the number in half again. On your Quit Day … quit!
Exercise. Walk, run, ride your bike, rollerblade or swim. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just move! Start with at least 15 minutes a day and increase by five minutes each week until you’re getting at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Your diet should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, which contain nutrients and phytonutrients to help prevent heart disease.
Try to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. When it comes to fruits and veggies, more matters!
Eat nuts. Nuts are rich sources of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol. Try one ounce of nuts per day including almonds, walnuts, and peanuts.
Eat seafood. Eating seafood once or twice a week increases the amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids you eat and can help to decrease your risk of heart disease. Fish such as mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna and sardines have the most omega-3 fatty acids.
Reduce saturated fats and trans fats. These unhealthy fats contribute to the plaque build up inside your arteries and help raise blood levels of cholesterol. Some sources of saturated fat include butter, lard, whole milk, cream, animal fat and bacon. Sources of trans fat include some snack products and sweets such as biscuits, crackers, donuts, and pastries. Read labels and choose foods with the lowest saturated fat and trans fat possible.
Use monosaturated fats. Olive oil and canola oil are sources of monounsaturated fats, which help to reduce blood cholesterol and may help raise levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol).
Increase your fibber. Fibber helps to lower cholesterol and evidence shows that people who eat more fibbers have a lower risk of heart disease. Fibber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Try to eat 25 to 35 grams of fibber each day.
Reduce your sodium intake. The average American consumes more than the recommended 2,300-milligrams of sodium each day. Decreasing salt intake in a diet can help reduce high blood pressure and can also decrease your chances of having a stroke and developing heart disease.
Make an appointment with your physician.
Get your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked.
Talk to your doctor or meet with a registered dietician to discuss ways you can reach or maintain a healthy weight.
Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit. Here are four steps to snuff your smoking habit: Day 1 – cut the number of cigarettes you smoke in half. Day 3 – cut the number in half again. Day 5 – cut the number in half again. On your Quit Day … quit!
Exercise. Walk, run, ride your bike, rollerblade or swim. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just move! Start with at least 15 minutes a day and increase by five minutes each week until you’re getting at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Your diet should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, which contain nutrients and phytonutrients to help prevent heart disease.
Try to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. When it comes to fruits and veggies, more matters!
Eat nuts. Nuts are rich sources of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol. Try one ounce of nuts per day including almonds, walnuts, and peanuts.
Eat seafood. Eating seafood once or twice a week increases the amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids you eat and can help to decrease your risk of heart disease. Fish such as mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna and sardines have the most omega-3 fatty acids.
Reduce saturated fats and trans fats. These unhealthy fats contribute to the plaque build up inside your arteries and help raise blood levels of cholesterol. Some sources of saturated fat include butter, lard, whole milk, cream, animal fat and bacon. Sources of trans fat include some snack products and sweets such as biscuits, crackers, donuts, and pastries. Read labels and choose foods with the lowest saturated fat and trans fat possible.
Use monosaturated fats. Olive oil and canola oil are sources of monounsaturated fats, which help to reduce blood cholesterol and may help raise levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol).
Increase your fibber. Fibber helps to lower cholesterol and evidence shows that people who eat more fibbers have a lower risk of heart disease. Fibber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Try to eat 25 to 35 grams of fibber each day.
Reduce your sodium intake. The average American consumes more than the recommended 2,300-milligrams of sodium each day. Decreasing salt intake in a diet can help reduce high blood pressure and can also decrease your chances of having a stroke and developing heart disease.
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