Simple Ways To Live A Heart Healthy Lifestyle

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, millions of Americans are diagnosed with some form of heart disease throughout their lifetime. For many decades, aging has been recognized as the primary risk factor for heart attacks in men over 50 and women over 65. 

Today, heart attacks are becoming less frequent among Americans, but rates are rising among people under the age of 40. The reason? More young adults are diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and obesity.

Why The Spike In Heart Attacks Among Young Adults?

The noticeable lifestyle shift over the past few decades has certainly taken a toll. People now live more sedentary lifestyles. They rely on food delivery apps rather than taking time to prepare a healthy home-cooked meal, or getting steps in while grocery shopping. As video game consoles become more popular, people also tend to take more time away from physical activities.

While certain factors such as age or genetics cannot be controlled, other factors like lifestyle choices can. Smoking, vaping, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, stress, even neglecting to floss your teeth can lead to heart disease. 

Heart Healthy Living Starts Today

The sooner you begin to make healthy lifestyle changes, the better. It is never too late to start adopting healthier habits! 

Avoiding smoking and vaping, or quitting if you have started is a great first step. Consuming alcohol and unhealthy foods in moderation is also important. Putting down the phone or TV remote and taking a short walk outside with a family member or four-legged friend is a great way to get some exercise, unplug from technology and decompress. 

If the weather keeps you indoors, download an instructional yoga or meditative video to practice in your bedroom or living room. Setting simple, realistic goals is the best way to jumpstart new lifestyle habits.

Another easy way to make changes is journaling. Keep notes on your progress and what changes you are making each day. Commit to walking 1 mile every day, sign up for a 5k and have a goal to work towards or schedule a hike with friends. Discussing your goals with friends and family can help keep you on track and accountable. And who knows- they may want to join you on your journey! 

Having a partner to exercise with is always great motivation. It can help keep you committed to showing up and doing the work. Should you cave in to your cravings or skip a workout just because you didn’t feel like it that day, don’t get discouraged – it happens to all of us. Each day is a new day to pick up where you left off and keep going.

Get Help Outlining a Plan

Have questions about what you can do to make healthier choices and lifestyle changes? Let our health and wellness team at the Sisters Metabolic Center for Wellness help you outline a plan to start your journey to a better, healthier you.