5 Ways to Jump-start
Your Heart Health
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Article by U.S. News Health
Your Heart Health
(BPT) - If you're looking to improve your heart health, each day is all about making a choice that moves you in the right direction. You'd rather stay in with a big bowl of ice cream. But maybe today, you could click off the TV set and take a walk with a friend. It's easy to see why heart health is a pressing concern. One in three adults live with one or more types of cardiovascular disease, according a review published in the journal Circulation. Over time, changes in the heart and blood vessels can lead to a host of devastating problems, including heart attack, heart failure and stroke. On top of that, lifestyle factors, such as poor diet and a lack of physical activity, lead to one in five deaths in the U.S., according to a study published in 2011 in the Journal of Public Health. The good news is as the weeks and months pass, these healthy choices do pay off and
"Diets abound, but the classic Mediterranean-based diet always comes up as a winner for heart health."
make meaningful shifts in your health profile.
Turning these choices into habits is well worth the time and effort. Choice by choice, you could see big improvements.
1. Reach for whole foods. Diets abound, but the classic Mediterranean-based diet always comes up as a winner for heart health. It's simple to follow because it's made up of whole, healthy foods, like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, olive oil and fish. In 2013, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine said switching to a Mediterranean diet can prevent 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and heart disease deaths in high-risk people.
2. Get up and move more often. The