New Year, Healthier You: 5 Achievable Resolutions for a Stronger Heart

New Year’s resolutions often feature goals based on improving your health and wellness. There’s no more fundamental place to start than your heart. Without effective circulation of blood, you’ll never achieve full health. 

Resolutions involving your heart have real consequences for your health if you don’t keep up with them. So make your goals achievable and sustainable when they focus on fundamental health improvements. 

At Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida, we’re here to help. Read on to learn about 5 picks from our interventional cardiologist, Dr. Enrique Hernandez, designed to help you preserve your heart health.

5 achievable resolutions for a stronger heart

Perhaps you’ve already achieved some of these goals, and your resolution list can be shorter. There’s no brilliant secret to any of these options, and that’s good news in terms of the support available to help you make your resolutions attainable. 

1.Stop smoking

In this day and age, the health threat of smoking and using tobacco products is common knowledge. Smoking delivers chemicals that cause arteries to deteriorate and clog and also  increases your blood pressure and heart rate while reducing the amount of oxygen carried through your bloodstream. 

Remaining smoke-free for just one year cuts your risk of developing heart disease in half. Blood pressure and heart rate start to drop within the first hour of your last smoke. 

2.Cut back on alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol is another well-known health risk, and new research is changing the way medical science thinks about alcohol consumption. There may not be a completely risk-free intake level of alcohol. 

Drinking alcohol may be boosting your blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. Heavy consumption of alcohol may also cause abnormal heart rhythms. As it does when you quit smoking, your body responds quickly when you cut back on your intake of alcohol. 

3.Boost activity levels

There’s no need to join a gym to gain the benefits of increased activity. Stick with easy-to-add changes, like a moderate increase in low-impact activity, that you can maintain until they become a habit. 

Work toward 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, to add 150 minutes of activities you enjoy, such as swimming, biking, or walking. If you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle, target an amount you can sustain, and build it as your endurance improves. 

4.Dietary changes

A resolution that requires emptying out your fridge and pantry and changing your entire approach to eating is probably not going to live to see February. Instead, move toward healthier eating in easy and sustainable ways. 

For instance, increase your intake of fresh fruits and veggies while reducing the amount of protein you eat. Cut back on prepared foods and sugary drinks. Focus on healthy fats, and boost your dietary fiber. Make your changes over weeks and months and stick to it. 

5.Maximize your sleep routine

Your body needs sleep. If you’re not getting 7 or 8 hours of solid, restorative sleep, your heart health is at risk. High blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure are all possible outcomes of long-term sleep deprivation. Develop a healthy sleep routine, and stick to it faithfully. 

When you need medical assistance with your heart health resolutions, call or message  Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins today at our nearest Miami location.