Living with Cardiovascular Disease

Living a healthy lifestyle is important to help prevent or delay progression of heart disease. If you suffer from cardiovascular disease, it is important to follow the guidance of your physician, and to take any medications as directed. Successful disease management also includes the following:

Nutrition

Eating a healthy diet that includes appropriate levels of calories, cholesterol, fat, fiber and sodium is important to:

• Manage stroke and heart-attack risk factors.
• Prevent or manage other chronic diseases.
• Manage weight.

Exercise

Activity is one key component in a healthy lifestyle. At a minimum, do moderate intensity activity for 30 minutes most days, in addition to your usual daily activities.  Increasing the intensity or the amount of time of activity can have additional health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. No matter what activity you choose, it can be done all at once, or divided into two or three parts during the day. Even 10-minute bouts of activity count toward your total.

Stress reduction

All of us have stress in our lives. And though our bodies naturally combat some stress, repeated stressful activities can negatively affect your health. Developing skills to help minimize the negative impact of stress can help everyone.

Tobacco cessation

According to the American Heart Association, eliminating smoking not only reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, but also reduces the risk of repeat heart attacks and death by heart disease by 50 percent. Research also indicates that smoking cessation is crucial in the management of many contributors to heart attack, including atherosclerosis, thrombosis, coronary artery disease and cardiac arrhythmias. All tobacco products – not just cigarettes – are risk factors for chronic illness.