Heart disease results from the narrowing and hardening of arteries caused by plaque buildup. Heart disease weakens the heart muscle and can lead to heart failure. The risk factors for heart disease include being overweight, smoking, poor diet, age and family history. You can control some risk factors for heart disease and improve your chances of overcoming those risk factors you cannot control by identifying resources for a healthy heart. Knowing your risk factors is the first step toward planning for heart health.
Information
Knowledge is power in keeping your heart healthy. The American Heart Association recommends learning the facts about heart disease, including risk factors. It provides a series of quizzes you can take to test your heart knowledge. The AHA also provides an interactive page for you to investigate the importance of your personal numbers, which include blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels, and how they affect your heart health.
Medical Screening
Medical screening evaluates the health of your heart and helps determine your risk for heart disease or complications from a cardiovascular condition. Medical screening helps your doctor identify problems early. Your doctor might order a stress test to check your heart and lungs and ask questions about your diet and level of physical activity. He might order blood tests to monitor your blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels.
Heart-Healthy Diet
A heart-healthy diet can protect you from developing heart disease and prevent complications if you have a heart condition, according to Cheshire Medical Center. A heart-healthy diet includes low sodium, sugar and unhealthy saturated fats and more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and foods with omega-3 fatty acids. You can avoid weight gain, which contributes to heart disease, by making sure your daily diet allows you to burn more calories than you consume.
Fitness Program
The American Heart Association recommends a physical fitness program that includes regular exercise as a resource for a healthy heart. Increase physical activity by building more movement into your daily activities, such as using the stairs. The AHA suggests starting your exercise program with moderate exercise for a minimum of 150 minutes weekly or exercising for 30 minutes on five days of the week. Include aerobic exercises to strengthen your heart and lungs and add strengthening and stretching exercises for a well-rounded program.
