| Many people see themselves as invulnerable
to heart disease. However, their day-to-day habits tell a different
story. What do your habits say about you? Take the following
quiz to find out.
If you answered "yes" to any of Questions 1, 2 or
3, you are at risk of developing heart disease. If you answered
"no" to Question 4, you are also at risk of developing
heart disease. If you don't know your blood pressure or your
blood cholesterol level, ask your doctor at your next annual
check-up.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada recognizes four major
preventable factors which increase the risk of developing heart
disease: smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, high blood
pressure and a sedentary lifestyle.
Smoking In addition to damaging
lungs and causing cancer, smoking can also cause heart disease.
It does so by hardening the arteries. The risk of developing
heart disease increases with the amount of tobacco smoked, but
there is no safe level of smoking.
Quitting the addiction takes a very strong commitment, but
it has been done by many. A number of self-help and group methods
for quitting are available. Take the time to prepare for quitting,
then quit. Remember: most people try quitting seven or eight
times before they finally break free.
High blood cholesterol There
is "good" cholesterol (carried by HDL or high-density
lipoproteins) and "bad" cholesterol (carried by LDL
or low-density lipoproteins). "Bad" cholesterol sticks
to the walls of blood vessels, preventing blood from flowing
easily to the heart. You can help to prevent this by
- not smoking;
- keeping your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol low.
(Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Cholesterol
comes only from animal products.)
High blood pressure A normal
blood pressure level is around 135/85. The first number is the
pressure during a heart beat; the second is the pressure at
the "low point" between two heart beats. To maintain
a normal blood pressure,
- reduce your salt intake;
- limit your alcohol consumption to two drinks a day;
- maintain a healthy weight;
- don't smoke.
Sedentary lifestyle Regular
physical activity can be effective in preventing and limiting
the effects of heart disease and stroke. The Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Canada recommends daily physical activity.
Is it difficult for you to block off a half hour every day?
Then try adding up active minutes throughout the day. Walk to
a bus stop further away, take the stairs instead of the elevator,
stretch during your morning break, go out for a 10-minute walk
during lunch hour, do sit-ups during TV commercials... Turn
your minutes into active minutes.
Preventing these four risk factors boils down to shedding three
lifestyle habits: smoking, eating high-fat foods, and not exercising.
To care for your heart, start working on one of these three
habits today.
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