Cardiac rehabilitation is as essential to patients as heart surgery or angioplasty. Without changing the factors that contribute to heart disease, the success of any interventions will be short-lived. But living a healthier life is about making sustained changes to an unhealthy lifestyle rather than a short surge of drastic lifestyle changes in response to a health scare.
Whether you suffer from heart disease, have had heart surgery, or just want to minimise your risk of cardiovascular disease, you can make immediate changes.
The Big Five
Although we don’t fully understand cardiovascular disease, large population-based studies have identified a clear set of cardiovascular risk factors which greatly increase the chance of heart disease.
Some risk factors such as male gender, increasing age and family genetics are beyond our control but there are five main lifestyle factors which can be tackled immediately.
Stop Smoking
The only message here is DON'T. Most smokers do not want to hear this message. But smoking is the best friend of heart disease and boosts the potency of other risk factors. Continued smoking will also sabotage any treatments already given.
Quitting successfully is more likely when attempted in a supported program, involving doctors, nurses and spouses and based on education and behavioural interventions. Pharmacological additions such as nicotine gum ease the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal but maintaining long-term motivation is the key to success.
Every smoker can name someone who smoked for 100 years and never had a sick day, but the evidence implicating smoking in cardiovascular disease is strong, especially in patients with diabetes, and so smoky old Uncle Joe and his iron-clad constitution is really no excuse.
Control Diabetes Mellitus
All diabetics are at increased risk for developing heart disease; however this risk is lessened when blood sugar levels are well controlled. Diabetics who smoke suffer greatly accelerated rates of cardiovascular disease.
Obesity is a cause of diabetes and can also make controlling blood sugar levels far more difficult. Losing weight can significantly improve diabetic control and in some cases will completely eliminate the disease.
Lower Cholesterol and Lipid Levels
The accumulation of fat and cholesterol narrows arteries and restricts blood flow and is the basis of cardiovascular disease. High levels of cholesterol and ‘bad’ lipids called LDLs act in concert with other risk factors to fuel heart disease.
The lowering of cholesterol and LDL levels, in conjunction with increasing the levels of ‘good’ fats such as HDLs, can halt, or in some cases, reverse the progression of cardiovascular disease.
Simple dietary modifications which reduce exposure to saturated fats and cholesterol can impact lipid control and does not condemn people to eating rabbit food. Exercise can also impact lipid levels.
Powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs such as “statins” are having an enormous impact in the treatment anyone who has heart disease, persistently high lipid levels or who has undergone angioplasty or heart surgery.
Get Moving and Eat Sensibly
Obesity and in particular, abdominal obesity, is fuel for heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Fighting obesity begins with one simple equation; eat less fuel than you burn each day. There are millions of diets available but sensible, controlled eating and portion control are at the heart of all.
The other side of this equation is exercise; moderate exercise three times a week has been shown to improve many of the risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease.
Patients who have established heart disease should have a supervised exercise program tailored to their specific needs by a physician or cardiac rehabilitation program.
Control Blood Pressure
Prolonged hypertension pre-disposes to cardiovascular disease. When coupled with smoking, diabetes and obesity, hypertension becomes more potent.
Regular blood pressure monitoring is essential for accurate control of any hypertension through diet, exercise, weight loss and medication where necessary.
More information on a heart healthy lifestyle can be found at the American Heart Foundation
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