Improving heart health

cdahl383

Looking for some ways to improve my heart health.

Never really worried much about it before, but my uncle just found out he had 90% blockage in three of his main valves in his heart. He just had bypass surgery done the other day. He's lucky to be alive. My Dad has had stints put in, my mom died of a heart attack, it's not looking too good for me in the heart department. Would like to start taking some steps now to improve my heart health before I get old and have serious problems.

My blood pressure used to be 120/80 most of the time, but last time I went to the doctor it was 140/90. I'm 42 now and probably 30-40lbs overweight, so I'm sure that's not helping. My diet was good for a while last year, but over the winter I started eating more junk food and processed foods. Also haven't been able to get outside and exercise that much as it was 0-10 degrees for most of January.

Thinking I could do the following:

1.) Lose weight (drop 25-30lbs over the next 6-9 months)
2.) Clean up my diet (less processed foods and junk food, more real food)
3.) Go on daily walks outside (if unable to go outside, head up to the gym)
4.) Get back to lifting weights again
5.) Limit high sodium foods

Is there anything else I could be doing now?

I'm planning on getting a physical in the spring and I'm thinking of asking for a stress test, as that's how they really found out how bad my uncle's blockage in his heart was. I'll get some numbers from that and then I'll know more.

CrazyMermaid1

Netflix “You Are What You Eat”, a twins study, is eye opening about health. I’m not thrilled to hear that plant based foods are better for your health.

yirara

Sounds good! If everything sounds too overwhelming at once then maybe start slowly. Chose a low weighloss goal of 0.5-1lbs per week, go for a walk, then think of what you could do with regards to your diet: replace a few things here and there and if it doesn't work for you (food also needs to fill you and make you happy) then try something else.

AnnPT77

cdahl383 wrote: »

Looking for some ways to improve my heart health.

Never really worried much about it before, but my uncle just found out he had 90% blockage in three of his main valves in his heart. He just had bypass surgery done the other day. He's lucky to be alive. My Dad has had stints put in, my mom died of a heart attack, it's not looking too good for me in the heart department. Would like to start taking some steps now to improve my heart health before I get old and have serious problems.

My blood pressure used to be 120/80 most of the time, but last time I went to the doctor it was 140/90. I'm 42 now and probably 30-40lbs overweight, so I'm sure that's not helping. My diet was good for a while last year, but over the winter I started eating more junk food and processed foods. Also haven't been able to get outside and exercise that much as it was 0-10 degrees for most of January.

Thinking I could do the following:

1.) Lose weight (drop 25-30lbs over the next 6-9 months)
2.) Clean up my diet (less processed foods and junk food, more real food)
3.) Go on daily walks outside (if unable to go outside, head up to the gym)
4.) Get back to lifting weights again
5.) Limit high sodium foods

Is there anything else I could be doing now?

I'm planning on getting a physical in the spring and I'm thinking of asking for a stress test, as that's how they really found out how bad my uncle's blockage in his heart was. I'll get some numbers from that and then I'll know more.

Good plan!

For #2, that may be helpful, but IMO you want the totality of your food choices to add up to pretty good overall nutrition, on average over a small number of days. Just eating "real food" may help, but doesn't guarantee good nutrition all by itself.

But as Yirara said, you don't need to fix everything all at once. Incremental changes as up, and can be easier to integrate into routine daily habits. Habits are powerful!

ddsb1111

cdahl383 wrote: »

Looking for some ways to improve my heart health.

Never really worried much about it before, but my uncle just found out he had 90% blockage in three of his main valves in his heart. He just had bypass surgery done the other day. He's lucky to be alive. My Dad has had stints put in, my mom died of a heart attack, it's not looking too good for me in the heart department. Would like to start taking some steps now to improve my heart health before I get old and have serious problems.

My blood pressure used to be 120/80 most of the time, but last time I went to the doctor it was 140/90. I'm 42 now and probably 30-40lbs overweight, so I'm sure that's not helping. My diet was good for a while last year, but over the winter I started eating more junk food and processed foods. Also haven't been able to get outside and exercise that much as it was 0-10 degrees for most of January.

Thinking I could do the following:

1.) Lose weight (drop 25-30lbs over the next 6-9 months)
2.) Clean up my diet (less processed foods and junk food, more real food)
3.) Go on daily walks outside (if unable to go outside, head up to the gym)
4.) Get back to lifting weights again
5.) Limit high sodium foods

Is there anything else I could be doing now?

I'm planning on getting a physical in the spring and I'm thinking of asking for a stress test, as that's how they really found out how bad my uncle's blockage in his heart was. I'll get some numbers from that and then I'll know more.

I tried writing something relatable and it just sounded like complete nonsense 🤦🏼‍♀️. Long story short, I’m 42 too, and I really hope you consider something you can do long term. Your future can completely change and benefit from decisions you make today. Think plans you can execute long term and on autopilot.

mtaratoot

@cdahl383

It sounds like you already have a good idea of some positive changes that you can make. If you can enact those suggestions, you'll be well on your way. As mentioned, make changes gradually and build good habits and then stick to them.

Reducing saturated fats has to be a good idea. Fats aren't all bad - focus on the good ones. Get enough but not too much. Cardiovascular exercise is good for the pump. Start slow, and if you can, check with a physician to make sure there's nothing to worry about before starting. Walking is not only a good way to start, but it's a good thing to keep in the routine even if you step it up to more vigorous exercise. Walking is just plain good for people. Our bodies seem to be designed for walking.

Lifting weights will help your bone density and it's a good thing to do. It will support preservation of your muscle mass if you lose weight.

Nutrition science is young, and there's some studies that say reducing sodium isn't necessarily required for some people. It can't hurt as long as you get enough. It's easy to get enough. My dad had to go on supplements because he had so little in his blood, so you can actually have too little.

The American Heart Association advises that replacing plant-based proteins for meat, especially red meat, is good for your heart. They especially call out legumes. That old rhyme is at least partially true: Beans, beans, good for the heart.