American Heart Month: Tips to Avoid Heart Disease

American Heart Month, a federally recognized event, is a great reminder for Americans to focus on their hearts. Heart awareness in a time of  COVID-19 seems particularly important. Simply put, there is no better time to prioritize our health and the health of our senior family members. Simple lifestyle changes can not only prevent heart disease, but can also strengthen the possibility of living longer with a much healthier heart. The editors at Aging Gracefully have gathered vital information regarding heart disease risk factors and tips to prevent this all too common disease.

Risk Factors of Heart Disease 

Despite years and even decades of hearing how smoking and being obese can ruin your heart health, too many Americans are not getting the message. Yet it turns out that many of the risk factors below can be managed with smart and relatively simple changes to your lifestyle.

Common risk factors include:

• • Smoking
  • Diabetes
  • Physical inactivity and obesity
  • Alcohol, caffeine and substance abuse
  • High blood pressure or cholesterol levels
  • High levels of stress and anxiety
  • Ethnicity and family history
  • Age and gender

Heart Disease Prevention: Tips for Healthy Senior Living 

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you set out on your journey to live a heart healthy life.

• Maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol. Higher levels of blood pressure and cholesterol mean your heart is being overworked. One of the first steps you can take to maintain a healthy heart is to have healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Make an appointment with your primary physician to determine what levels are considered healthy for you, since your levels depend on your unique risk factors and heart history.
• Make healthy lifestyle choices and stick to them. Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet is key. Cut out smoking and foods that are high in saturated fat content, like processed meats. Lester Senior Living in Morris County offers many senior exercise classes  (chair yoga, anyone?) as well as low-cal, low-fat dining options 7 days a week. Visit their website to learn more about what’s offered at the Lester Senior Living community.
• Combat stress head-on. Stress that goes unmanaged is a serious risk factor for heart disease. It’s also something that is often overlooked or confused with another medical condition. If you have significant trouble managing stress and anxiety, we recommend speaking to a medical professional as soon as possible.
• Have regular check ups. Most people don’t want to visit the doctor without a reason but having yearly checkups and blood work is one of the best things you can do for preventative maintenance on your heart. As we get older, we may accept many of our aches and pains but they may sometimes be the harbinger of something else. If you catch it early, you will be much better off.

Assisted Living Care Services in Morris County, NJ

If you have any questions about assisted living care services in Morris County, please contact Lester Senior Living today: (973) 929-2725. At Lester Senior Living, having caregivers on-site around the clock, means your senior family member can get the extra help they need immediately. They have one of the best ratios of staff to residents in the industry, which means they never skimp on care. Residents also have direct access to certified specialists on-site, such as physicians, therapists and other wellness providers that can manage the medical complications that come with heart disease.

 

Original content published: https://jchcorp.org/heart-disease-prevention-tips/