34 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • DECEMBER 21, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
wellness
5 ways to jump-start your heart health
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 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 fi sh.
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
Th e Surgeon General says 2.5 hours of
moderate intensity exercise each week
promotes good heart health. To get started,
visit your doctor to fi nd out what is
safe for you. Th en work activities you
enjoy into your routine, whether it’s a
walk in the woods, a leisurely bike ride or
swimming laps at the community pool.
3. Seek the company of others
Th is may not come up at the doctor’s
offi ce, but the time we spend with friends
and family does reward us with better
heart health. Isolation is linked to depression
and that’s linked to higher rates of
heart disease. Pick up the phone and call
someone. Schedule lunch with an old
friend, plan a special day with younger
relatives or sign up for an activity.
4. De-stress and decompress
If you constantly feel the eff ects of stress
in your body, it may be time to take steps
to reverse that. Scientists haven’t found
defi nitive proof, but they believe stress
could trigger infl ammation, a precursor
to heart disease. So go ahead, and
seek some joy: Laughter releases “good”
HDL cholesterol. Exercise is also a proven
stress buster, and studies show a mindfulness
mediation practice reduces blood
pressure.
5. Know your risks
Hopefully, you’re already making those
annual doctor visits because your blood
sugar, blood pressure, weight and cholesterol
can all tell us something about our
heart health. But what you really want to
know is whether there is fatty buildup in
your arteries, because it can lead to stroke,
peripheral vascular disease and carotid
artery stenosis. Doctor offi ce tests off er
indicators and warning signs, but they
don’t tell you how much you’re blocked.
Luckily, there’s a safe and aff ordable
test that gives you the hard data on what
is happening inside your body: vascular
screening. If you think learning the truth
will discourage you, one study indicates
the opposite may be true.
Th e report published in the Journal
of Community Medicine and Health
Education says people who had vascular
screening reported more positive changes
to their health several months aft er their
vascular screening than the control subjects
who weren’t screened. For example,
61 percent of screened respondents said
they ate healthier foods since the screening,
versus the 46 percent who were not
screened.
Truth is empowering and it can give
people a powerful incentive to change,
even if the news isn’t what you’re hoping
to hear. To get your own vascular
test, fi nd out when Life Line Screening
is coming to your community. You’ll get
a results pack you can take to your doctor,
so you can work on a plan together to
improve your health.
To fi nd out when a Life Line screening
clinic may be scheduled in your area, visit
www.lifelinescreening.com or call (877)
754-9631.
Courtesy BPT