As much as 80 percent of premature heart disease is preventable by making specific lifestyle choices. Some strategies, such as exercising and managing weight, are well known. 6 “A small change in your everyday routine can potentially have a big impact in the long run,”says preventive cardiologist Dr. Beth Abramson, a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
7 “When you’re not rested, everything that happens in your life is a lot more stressful,” says Dr. Arya Sharma, founder of the Canadian Obesity Network and a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta. If we’re lacking sleep, our bodies also have more difficulty controlling blood pressure, inflammation (炎症) and glucose (葡萄糖) levels. These factors can all have an effect on cardiovascular (心血管的) health.
Engage in volunteer work. Doing good for others helps your self-esteem and relieves Stress. Research published in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2016 showed that a feeling of purpose in lite is linked to a lower likelihood of heart attack and stroke. “We know that loneliness is a risk factor for heart health,” adds Sharma.“Volunteering gets you out of the house and creates a social network.” 8
Avoid polluted air. 9 Even short periods of exposure are unhealthy for people who already have other cardiovascular risks, such as high blood pressure. Try to get your outdoor exercise far away from highways and industrial districts, and spend more time indoors when the air quality index is poor.
Eat breakfast. A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that healthy people who skipped breakfast were almost three times more likely to have heart disease six years later than those who participate in a substantial morning meal. One possible reason: “If you’re eating a proper breakfast, you’re less likely to be hungry later and make poor food choices,” says Abramson. “We need to eat a balanced diet as part of a healthy lifestyle.” 10
A.Get eight hours of sleep. |
B.Limit your time on social media. |
C.But others may not have crossed your mind. |
D.Choose whole-grain, low-fat breakfast foods and include fruit. |
E.Exposure to this kind of pollution over time raises your risk of heart disease. |
F.Depending on the type of work you do, volunteering might even increase your physical activity. |
G.Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer. |