4 Ways to Prevent Heart Disease
Vascular disease affects over 15 million American adults and often goes undiagnosed. Your cardiovascular system is made up of blood vessels that transport blood to and from the heart, so it’s important to keep this system in peak condition.
The Center for Vascular Medicine is a comprehensive vascular treatment facility with a team dedicated to your vein health. There are several steps you can take on your own to prevent vascular disease.
1. Maintain A Healthy Diet
Your blood vessels need a healthy diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, healthy carbs, and healthy fats. This helps reduce your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, all of which are linked to cardiovascular disease.
Your diet should include a balance of:
- Leafy green vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean meat
- Fish
- Legumes, such as beans
- Water
2. Follow Your Current Health Treatment Plan
If your doctor has already prescribed a treatment plan for diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, make sure you follow their advice and take all medications as directed. People with these conditions can still prevent vascular disease.
Keep regular appointments with your doctor to monitor blood sugar, weight, cholesterol, and any other health conditions, and let them know of any changes in how you are feeling.
3. Avoid Smoking
Smoking is incredibly harmful to your cardiovascular disease. It raises your risk for several cardiovascular diseases, such as:
- Atherosclerosis
- Aortic aneurysm
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
- Stroke
- Heart attack
Even if you’ve smoked all your life, it’s not too late to quit and still benefit from a smoke-free life. Your doctor can help you quit smoking and prevent cardiovascular disease. Circulation and lung function improve just two weeks after quitting smoking.
4. Stay Active
Regular physical activity, even simply walking, reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease by managing weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar level.
Everyone should strive for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day, but it doesn’t all have to be at the same time. If you don’t have a full 30-minute block, you can split the activity into smaller chunks of time. Start by parking your car further away, take one flight of stairs, or strength exercises.
Improve Vascular Health in Maryland and Virginia
If you believe you may have a vascular condition, are overweight, have diabetes, or are over the age of 40 it is important to get your vascular health checked. Center for Vascular Medicine of Maryland provides thorough screenings that can save lives. Contact the center near you or request an appointment online.