This article is part ofHealth Divide: Heart Disease Risk Factors, a destination in our Health Divide series.
Dr. Velardes clinical interests include heart disease in women and other populations, as well as preventive care.
Verywell Health: What lifestyle actions should people take to improve their heart health?
Julie Bang / Verywell
Dr. Velarde: Theres a whole list of healthy lifestyle actions we can recommend.
I always start by telling my patients to be proactive.
Being engaged with your health and being an informed consumer is a lifestyle choice.
Sometimes they are very explicit and specific.
For example, they may be concerned about theirblood pressureor theircholesterol.
But oftentimes, they have general concerns or fears.
They say, Im worried about my heart health.
Im worried something may happen, and I might suffer aheart attackorstroke.
This is often because something happened to someone they know.
So, my first suggestion is tobe proactive.
This lays a good foundation for partnering with the patient to improve their cardiovascular health.
These risk markers can all be modified by lifestyle changes.
And all of them can be monitored by a primary healthcare provider or acardiologistwho can help people improve them.
You have to care.
You have to know your own personal risk.
The second major lifestyle change people can make to improve their heart health iseating healthy.
It means restraining yourself from things you enjoy.
I recommend:
It also helps to establish eating routines, so eating according to a meal schedule.
Another lifestyle change isincorporating movementinto everyday life.
Particularly for the Latinx community, exercise can equate to struggling.
So instead, I recommend movement.
I give patients tips on how to incorporate movement into regular daily activities.
These are some basic actions that people can more easily incorporate into their daily lives than intense aerobic exercise.
American Heart Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
