Did you know that your heart pumps an average of 2,000 gallons of blood every day? That blood travels about 12,000 miles through your body—that’s four times the distance across the U.S. from coast to coast.
Because your heart works so hard every day, it’s important to keep it as healthy as possible. While genetics do play some part in your heart health, there are several steps you can take to help make your heart’s job a little easier and help maintain your quality of life for as long as possible.
No matter your age, heart-healthy best practices are consistent:
● Exercise – Aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, including aerobic exercise and strength training. That’s just slightly more than 20 minutes a day. You can accomplish some of this simply by incorporating more activity into your daily routine: park further from your destination, take the stairs for one to two floors rather than the elevator, or take short walks throughout the day.
● Eat well – Eat a heart-healthy diet that's low in calories and saturated fat and high in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Also consider adding more fish, nuts, legumes, and seeds to your diet.
● Manage your weight – By maintaining a healthy weight, you reduce your heart’s workload.
● Control your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar – Talk to your physician about tracking these levels and follow their advice to keep all three within target limits.
● Quit smoking – Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and can damage your arteries.
Be sure to talk to your general practitioner or cardiologist before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine. He or she can talk to you about your potential risks and make recommendations about what activities would be best for you.
Though heart health is important at any age, those habits become even more important as you get older. The years have an impact on the heart that can increase your risk of heart disease or other complications. Here are a few things to be aware of that may cause a downturn in heart health:
● Stiffening arteries – As we age, our arteries become less flexible and more likely to narrow. This can lead to a buildup of fatty deposits, which is called atherosclerosis.
● Thickened heart walls – The heart muscle can thicken and enlarge, while the volume of blood it pumps may decrease.
● Weakened heart valves – The valves that control blood flow through the heart can become weaker or stiffer.
● Increased blood pressure – Blood pressure tends to rise with age, which can damage artery walls and increase the risk of blockages.
● Slower metabolism – Metabolism slows down with age, which can make it harder to maintain a healthy weight and increase the risk of high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
The Legacy Can Help You Facilitate a Heart Healthy (and Happy!) Life
Taking care of your heart now can be a great way to help reduce the effects of age on your heart. If you or a loved one find it challenging to make the changes necessary – improved diet, increased exercise, better medical supervision – a transition to assisted living may be the solution. The Legacy Assisted Living offers dietician-planned meals, group activities designed to maintain and increase physical activity and build community and access to a full-time medical staff, making it much easier to maintain or improve overall health and quality of life.
The Legacy Assisted Living is locally owned and operated with elite medical partners both onsite and off campus. Our vision is a small community environment focused on caring, family values, and supporting individual’s independence and well-being. For leasing, tours, and more information, please call Jonacha at (205) 344-2855.
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