Life’s Essential 8 for Heart Health
If you are looking for the right time to renew your commitment to a healthy lifestyle, how about right now? All Delawareans can take meaningful steps toward better health, starting with attainable goals. A great place to begin is with Life’s Essential 8 from the American Heart Association (AHA). These key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health can help lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.
By breaking it down into eight steps, you can see how the choices we make and the actions we take can make a huge difference in not just heart health but overall well-being.
Some of these steps might be obvious, and some might surprise you!
Step 1: Eat Better. Eating better and healthier doesn’t have to mean being on a “diet.” Think of this as a meal plan. The AHA recommends a healthy eating pattern that includes whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and nuts and seeds, as well as cooking in nontropical oils like olive and canola.
Step 2: Be More Active. Adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, like walking, riding a bike ride, water aerobics, and gardening — or 75 minutes a week of vigorous activity, like running, cycling, or swimming laps. Or do a combination of both throughout the week! Wherever you start on your fitness journey, the goal is to get up and get moving.
Step 3: Quit Tobacco. Sometimes this is easier said than done. But getting help to quit can triple your chances of success. In Delaware, free programs can help you break the tobacco addiction with options like phone, online, and in-person counseling.
Step 4: Get Healthy Sleep. Surprised by this one? Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. According to the AHA, adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function, and reduces the risk for chronic diseases.
Step 5: Manage Weight. There are many health benefits to managing your weight. Understanding your body mass index (BMI), journaling your food intake, and learning portion control are just a few examples. Healthy Delaware offers great tips on how to get started and live well.
Following steps 1 through 5 will help control steps 6 through 8!
Step 6: Control Cholesterol. The first crucial step is to know your cholesterol levels and then work with your health care provider to maintain or lower your levels if needed. High levels of “bad” cholesterol can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Step 7: Manage Blood Sugar. As with cholesterol, knowing and understanding your blood-sugar levels is important to maintaining good health and preventing diabetes, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.
Step 8: Manage Blood Pressure. Keeping your blood pressure at a normal range can keep you healthier longer! Delaware’s Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program can help adults with high blood pressure get it to a healthy level and keep it that way.
Despite our best efforts, some things like our genetics, age, and ethnicity increase the risk of heart disease. Scheduling annual visits with your primary care provider can ensure your cholesterol, blood-sugar, and blood pressure levels are all regularly checked and monitored.