7 New Year's Resolutions for a Healthier Heart

The new year is a natural time to refocus on your health, and your heart is the perfect place to start. Why? Because heart disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men. But the good news is, you can reduce your personal risk of heart disease by playing a more proactive role in your health.

In this post, John Terzian, MD, FACC, and our team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, offer seven resolutions you can (and should) make this year to enjoy better heart health now and for years to come.

1. Move every day

You don’t need an expensive gym membership to strengthen your heart. The most important thing is to be consistent — to exercise and move daily. According to the American Heart Association, all it takes is half an hour of brisk walking, swimming, or cycling five days a week. 

Best of all, you don’t need to do 30 minutes all at once — you can break it down into 10- or 15-minute intervals and still reap the benefits. 

2. Choose heart-smart foods

When it comes to your health, you truly “are” what you eat. Eating healthy foods keeps you healthy, while making poor food choices can take a toll on your wellness in lots of ways — and that includes your heart health.

This year, eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean or animal proteins, like beans or soy products, while limiting processed foods, salt, and added sugars as much as possible. 

3. Know your numbers

Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and even blood sugar (glucose) levels all provide important “clues” about your heart health. Keeping track of these numbers can reveal any subtle changes that indicate early heart trouble. 

Be sure to schedule regular physical exams with our team, and follow up with any additional testing or monitoring we recommend to help keep your heart healthy as you age.

4. Quit smoking for good

Smoking damages blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and dramatically increases the risks of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Even if you’ve been smoking for years, kicking the habit offers remarkable (and surprisingly quick) benefits, including improvements in lung function and circulation. 

Our team can help you find the resources you need to succeed, and you can find plenty of help online, too, beginning with the SmokeFree.gov website.

5. Make time for stress management

Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure and inflammation, which strain your heart over time. In fact, medical experts consider stress to be a significant risk factor for heart disease, particularly for coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease.

Meditation and yoga are good stress-busting activities, but so are deep-breathing exercises, reading, journaling, or listening to music.

6. Prioritize sleep

Sleep is when your body heals and regenerates, so it makes sense that getting ample high-quality sleep is important for heart health. Poor sleep can raise your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity — all major risk factors for heart disease.

Ideally, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to maximize benefits. If you struggle with sleep (another common problem for many of us), these tips can help you develop a relaxing routine that works for you.

7. Maintain a healthy weight

Carrying extra weight is another risk factor for heart disease, especially when that weight is located mainly around your midsection. But other items on this list — being more active, eating healthier, improving sleep, and managing stress — can all help you shed those pounds and reduce your heart disease risk, too. 

Better still, you don’t have to lose a lot to reap the benefits. Just losing 5%-10% of your body weight can improve your heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Bonus tip: Keep up with your heart checkups

Scheduling regular physical exams and heart checkups is one of the best ways to stay proactive with your heart health and your overall wellness, too. 

If you’re due for a checkup, it’s easy to start the new year on a healthy note: Book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.