Exercise, Diet and Cholesterol: Keys for a Healthy Heart

1- Stop smoking

Tobacco is the 1st cause of avoidable cardiovascular mortality. Smoking 3 to 4 cigarettes a day multiplies the relative risk of cardiovascular accident by 3.

2- Move more

At least 30 minutes of continuous physical exercise every day is essential to maintain your heart.
So take every opportunity to get moving: walk, take the stairs, cycle…

3- Adopt “the Mediterranean diet”

Eat little red meat, cold cuts and butter, but plenty of fish, vegetables, fruit or dried fruit, cereals, legumes and olive or rapeseed oils. Avoid soft drinks and fatty foods, and limit your intake of salt and alcohol.

4- Check your cholesterol level every 5 years

Excessive “bad” cholesterol in the blood is dangerous for long-term health, damaging arteries and promoting blood clots and vascular accidents.

5- Check your blood pressure annually

Hypertension is excessive blood pressure in the arteries. It fatigues the heart prematurely by overtaxing it, and encourages the deposition of fatty deposits on artery walls.

6- Watch your weight and waistline

The heart doesn’t like excess weight, especially when it’s on the stomach. Waist circumference is much more relevant than body mass index in assessing cardiovascular risk.

7- Laugh, be positive and reduce stress

Stress is one of the main causes of heart attacks, after smoking and cholesterol. It accelerates heart rate, increases blood pressure, modifies coagulation, encourages smoking, and the consumption of alcohol, as well as fatty and sugary foods.

8- Sleep 6 to 8 hours a night

If you sleep less than 6 hours a night, you may double your risk of stroke and heart attack. If you sleep more than 8 hours a night, you may double your risk of angina and increase your risk of coronary heart disease.