5 Tips for Heart Healthy Seniors

One of the biggest threats to the health of older men and women is heart disease. Out of people who are 65 years old or older, 84 percent die form heart disease, a staggering statistic. Heart disease covers a lot of different conditions. The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease, or CAD, which is responsible for serious and even life-threatening cardiovascular events such as chest pain, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, and heart failure. However, this risk factor is not set in stone. As you age, your risk for heart disease increases, but there are things you can do to fight back, and maintain a healthy heart and long life. Here are 5 things you can do to maintain a healthy heart:

1) Quit Smoking, Reduce Alcohol - All at once the simplest, and yet the hardest of the lifestyle changes you may have to make in order to have a healthier heart. After the age of 65 smoking can be the biggest enemy for you and your heart. And alcohol should be cut back to 1 or 2 alcoholic beverages a day, minimum. Do this, and your heart will thank you!

2) Watch What You Eat - Again, this is easier said than done. The best way to go about getting yourself on the right diet is to add healthy foods to what you normally eat, instead of trying to erase or eliminate unhealthy foods. Over time, the healthy foods will become easier to eat, and you will eat more of them as you notice how good they make you feel. Look for: Foods with high fiber; nuts; fruits and vegetables; an apple a day; olive oil (instead of butter!). As little as 10 grams of fiber a day will do wonders, as will eating a handful of unsalted nuts once a day or five times a week to lower cholesterol. Also, foods that start with "B" are usually great to add to your daily intake as well, such as beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and bread (whole wheat only!).

3) Exercise - This may sound harder than it looks. What you don't have to do is get a gym membership and start sweating and pumping iron. On the contrary, all that is required is to spend 30 minutes of your day in motion. This could be walking through the neighborhood or the mall, swimming at your community pool, really anything that gets you up and moving for just 30 minutes a day. You may find that as you work in this time for yourself in your schedule, you will find yourself allowing more and more time for this activity as it strengthens you and boosts your mood.

4) Get Regular Check-Ups - It is important to monitor your numbers as often as you can. Your numbers include your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and medication levels for things like diabetes. All of these can have an effect on your heart health. The higher your weight, blood-pressure, and cholesterol levels are, the more you run the risk of getting heart disease.

5) Know the Signs and Symptoms of Heart Disease - If you have any of the following warning signs, talk to your doctor immediately about cardiac rehab: Feeling faint, or dizzy; feeling light-headed or weak; inability to catch your breath, whether it is after movement or during a period of rest or inaction; nausea or vomiting; feeling overly full, or having indigestion; pressure or pain in the chest; pains in you back, shoulders or neck that are irregular; sweating; having an irregular heartbeat.