Healthy Habits: Healthy Heart Challenge

Dr. Nieca Goldberg cracks down on cardiovascular disease this February through the launch of her first national Healthy Heart Challenge. To participate, Dr. Goldberg asks that American adults take the proper steps to improve their overall cardiovascular wellbeing. Causing about 2,200-deaths a day, cardiovascular disease continues to be a major killer in the United States, and Americans are more obese and spending more money on treatment of the disease than ever before, according to the AHA’s 2012 “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Survey.” This can stop now.

Improving your cardiovascular health can seem like a difficult goal, but by making simple lifestyle changes is the first step toward big change. To follow are the top five things you must do to improve your heart health:
1. Quit Smoking: Smoking triples the risk of heart disease.
2. Reduce your salt intake: Cutting salt intake in half would save more than a million people from hypertension
3. Exercise: Maintain three hours a week of aerobic exercise and aim to take 10,000 steps a day.
4. Heart Check-Up: The only way to know if you’re at risk is to have a good heart to hear you’re your doctor. Discuss your family history, your lifestyle and have your blood pressure taken. Lab tests for cholesterol and glucose are important as well; your doctor will determine if you need additional tests.
5. Aspirin: Discuss with your doctor if Aspirin will benefit you. Research shows that an aspirin a day doesn’t prevent a first heart attack in everyone.

Heart disease is still the number one killer in the United States, more than all cancers combined. These simple lifestyle changes can decrease your risk of heart disease by up to 80%. You’ll look better, feel better and live longer, who can argue with that!