Lewy PT: Living Life Without Back Pain

damages arteries and makes heart disease more likely.

1. Aim for lucky number seven. Young and middle-age adults who slept 7 hours a night have less calcium in their arteries (an early sign of heart disease) than those who sleep 5 hours or less or those who sleep 9 hours or more. 2. Keep the pressure off. Get your blood pressure checked every 3-5 years if you’re 18-39. If you’re 40 or older, or if you have high blood pressure, check it every year. 3. Move more. To keep it simple, you can aim for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week of moderate exercise. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, being sedentary for the other 23 1/2 hours is really bad for your heart. 4. Slash saturated fats. To help your heart’s arteries, cut down on saturated fats, which are mainly found in meat and full-fat dairy products. Choose leaner cuts and reduced-fat options. 5. Find out if you have diabetes. Millions of people don’t know that they have this condition. That’s risky because over time, high blood sugar

6. Think beyond the scale. Ask your doctor if your weight is OK. If you have some pounds to lose, you’ll probably want to change your eating habits and be more active. 7. Ditch the cigarettes, real and electronic. Smoking and secondhand smoke are bad for your heart. If you smoke, quit, and don’t spend time around others who smoke as well. E-cigarettes are popular, but they’re not completely problem-free. They don’t contain the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke but, they still do contain nicotine, so your goal should be to quit completely, not just switch to a less toxic version. 8. Clean up. Your heart works best when it runs on clean fuel. That means lots of whole, plant-based foods (like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds) and fewer refined or processed foods (like white bread, pasta, crackers, and cookies).

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