American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute on Aging identified risks. It urged Americans of all ages to take responsibility and provide numerous ideas to improve heart health. Congress and the Administration must mobilize and fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health agencies to make healthy aging a core component of public health. What is needed now is policy, as well as the will, to make sure collectively and the choice to collectively work to ensure all seniors are engaged in health promotion and disease prevention and receiving high-quality, person-centered, equitable health care. If these priorities are addressed aggressively, the infrastructure for promoting better health and fair, purpose-directed care can be created, one that acknowledges older adults’ preferences and needs.
A well-balanced plan for heart health encourages community participation, alleviation of stress and worries, and a way to engage in more spiritual aspects of life. Following a heart-healthy diet and being physically active may help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Eat a heart-healthy diet that reduces saturated fat and cholesterol and keeps your weight in check. A healthy diet may help protect your heart, improve your blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower the risk of type-2 diabetes.
To get the nutrients your body needs and lower your risk for chronic conditions like heart disease, make whole foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats the basis of your diet. Excess weight may contribute to conditions that raise the odds that you will develop heart disease - including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type-2 diabetes. Extra alcohol use may worsen medical conditions contributing to heart disease, such as blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, and elevated cholesterol levels. High glucose levels make you more likely to have insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
Over time, poor sleep may increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. If you think you are getting enough sleep but still find yourself fatigued during the day, ask your health care provider if you should get evaluated for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition that may raise your risk for heart disease. Sleep is a crucial time to maintain healthy brain function and keep your overall health in check, but too many Americans are getting the recommended hours of sleep every day. Regular physical activity also reduces the risk for several conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
People who exercise often have better immune and digestive function, better blood pressure, and bone deAlzheimer's's'sower risks for Alzheimer's, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer. Regular physical activity reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and some cancers. It can help you manage stress, improve your sleep, improve your mood, maintain your weight, reduce your risk of falls, and enhance cognitive function in older adults. Regular physical activity helps you lose excess body weight, promotes physical fitness and wellbeing, and reduces the risk for several conditions, including risk factors for heart disease, such as elevated cholesterol and blood pressure. Exercise and physical activity are great ways to prevent heart disease and many other diseases and conditions [14-16], but many of us do less of it as we age.
Lack of physical activity contributes to many chronic diseases in older adults, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, lung disease, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, and cancer. Heart disease is also the leading cause of disability, restricting theactivities and diminishing the quality of life for millions of older adults. Adults 65 years and older are more likely to have cardiovascular diseases, which are problems with the heart, blood vessels, or both than younger adults. Age may lead to heart and blood vessel changes, possibly increasing the person’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
To understand how age is linked to cardiovascular disease, so we can eventually develop treatments for this group of diseases, we must first understand what is happening to the healthy yet aging heart and blood vessels. Research has shown that regular exercise during middle age improves the elasticity of the blood vessels caused by a sedentary lifestyle and decreases cardiovascular risk. Some interventions that we already know slow aging rates of the heart and arteries include eating healthily, exercising, reducing stress, and quitting smoking.
The most popular individual strategies to keep your heart healthy are still regular physical activity and eating well. Exercise remains one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy and enhance your health. Moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do to help your heart and other parts of your body stay healthy.
The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week for adults, with the goal being to get 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Any amount of exercise is better than no exercise, says the CDC, which recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, such as swimming or taking a brisk walk; you can break that down even further to 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week. Even shorter bursts of activity provide heart benefits, so do not quit if you cannot hit these guidelines.
Eating smart and being active while still physically fit may help you keep your strength and weight in check as you age. Your risk depends on several factors, some changeable (being physically active and eating a healthy diet) and others not so much (age, gender, and family history of heart disease). While the chances of getting heart disease increase as you age, do not just assume that will be the case.
If you have diabetes, another blood pressure-related problem, or any other health condition, take medications as directed and speak to your healthcare provider before changing medications or your health care habits. Along with these daily ways to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle, regularly check in with your health care provider to discuss heart health. Scientists are learning a lot more about how physical activity, diet, and other lifestyle factors affect the aging rate of healthy hearts and arteries.
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