Experts say patients should be proactive: Start taking care of your heart now
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Of course, if you have had a heart attack or not-so-good news about your heart you should follow your provider’s protocol for taking care of your ticker.
But if you’re overall healthy, adopting healthful lifestyle habits can prevent heart issues when you’re older. And even if you’re already at or past middle age and have not been living healthfully, it’s not too late to start.
“Many of us notice in middle age that it is harder to lose weight or start exercising or change our diets,” said Ann Caprio, doctorate of nurse practitioner, UR Medicine comprehensive stroke program coordinator and assistant professor of clinical nursing at UR School of Nursing. “It’s easy to think that the damage is done by our lifestyle in earlier years. But it is not too late to make a positive impact on health and lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke by making changes.
“People who adopt healthy habits at age 50 live longer, healthier lives,” she added. “Although it is a very old statement, it holds true than an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
What you eat matters — a lot.
“A healthful diet, low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in protein and fiber will help keep your heart healthy,” said Kerri Howell, certified personal trainer and owner of The Hourglass Mom in the Rochester area.
Read the nutrition facts square on food labels to learn about what is in what you eat. You can also find information online at the American Heart Association site, www.heart.org.
Exercise also helps maintain a healthy heart. But it doesn’t have to be extreme forms of fitness.
“Make sure to perform exercise that elevates your heart rate at least three times per week for approximately 30 minutes,” Howell said. “You want to be able to carry on a conversation but not be able to sing. This will help condition your heart, which is a muscle after all. In addition, you can and should exercise your heart daily with 30 minutes or so of walking. You can do this by taking a 10-minute walk after each meal.”
If walking is not your thing, that’s all right.. In fact, you should try activities until you find something you like.
In addition to cardiovascular exercise, Jean Sica, a tai chi and mindful movement instructor and owner of Kokoro Fitness in Rochester, recommends strength training at least two days weekly.
“This is minimum,” she said. “If one wants to improve, then one must do more than the minimum. This doesn’t mean spending hours of time in the gym. Choose ways to move your body that you enjoy. Take up a sport. Mow the lawn. Monitor your heart rate to make sure you are working at the proper intensity.”
Like Howell, Sica also recommends learning more about nutrition because most people eat too much animal product-based food, unhealthful fats, sugar and processed foods. Instead, choosing more produce, healthful fats such as those found naturally in nuts and minimally processed, whole foods promote heart health.
“Fad diets are popular and everyone seems to know what they are. But few Americans seem to understand or accept the fact that the leading risk for noncommunicable diseases is an unhealthy diet,” Sica said. “Most heart disease is caused by diets high in animal products.”
Lean sources of protein include plant-based protein, like beans, seeds, nuts and tofu and if consuming animal sources, stick with things like lean cuts of meat and healthful seafood like salmon, cod and other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This type of seafood promotes heart health.
Choosing whole grains as carbohydrate sources, like oatmeal, popcorn brown rice, sweet potatoes and whole grain pasta instead of white flour-based pasta, white rice and white potatoes is also healthful. Of course, the preparation of food matters as well. Olive oil is considered healthful for the heart, unlike many other choices.
Don’t rely only on packaging’s “heart healthy” claims. The American Heart Association offers its heart-check digital grocery list tool free online. You can look for heart-check certified foods and draft a grocery list to use digitally or print or email. The organization updates the tool for up-to-date information.
Maintaining a healthful diet and exercise regimen can help you stay at a healthy weight for your height. If you’re not sure what that is, ask your primary care provider.
Stress is not good for your heart. Find ways to mitigate the effects of stress through spiritual pursuits, mindfulness, gratitude journaling or meditation. Join a group of like-minded people for activities you enjoy. As long as you’re cleared for exercise, regularly doing so can help reduce your stress levels, as well as improve your heart’s function.
Keeping a close watch on your heart health relies upon a trusting relationship with your primary care provider (and cardiologist if you’ve already been diagnosed with a heart issue).
The American Heart Association recommends beginning cholesterol screening at age 20, long before the average American begins asking about this testing — or before most providers suggest it. This strategy offers a baseline and can help detect rare but serious issues.