10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Feb 12, 2020Note: Reshape Physical Therapy and Wellness evolved into Weight Loss for Health, and finally Zivli. How to Lose Weight After 50 was our first course that eventually grew into Zivli. Some old blog posts or resources mentioned in this episode may have been removed.
February is National Heart Health Month so I wanted to do a special episode highlighting what you can do to prevent heart disease. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America.
I’ve worked with many older adults in traditional geriatric physical therapy who suffered from heart disease. Rarely does it occur in isolation. Usually they also had diabetes or COPD or dementia. That is because all of these conditions have similar underlying risk factors.
Today I’m going to give you a ton of ideas to lower your risk factors. Much of this information is based on updated guidelines from The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.
I have a ton of great links that I referenced in this podcast so be sure to check those out below. Also I made a freebie for today to help you track your risk factors for heart disease. You can fill in with your numbers and compare to normative values. You can use this to track your progress over the next several months and see if your risk factors improve.
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Highlights From This Episode
[06:27] When I think about risk factors for any disease, I always like to think of them in terms of which ones are modifiable or controllable, and which ones are out of my control. Let’s talk about risk factors for heart disease that are non-modifiable, in other words you can’t get rid of them, or control them, they are just part of you.
[08:49] In the freebie for this episode, fill in your numbers and compare to optimal values. You can use this to track your progress over the next several months and see if your risk factors improve.
[09:37] One of the best things you can do for your health is to reduce your added sugar and salt consumption.
[18:58] My challenge to you is two-fold. Download your free health assessment form that I made so you can fill it in with your own numbers and compare then to the normal ranges to see where you should prioritize your health efforts.
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Resources From This Episode
>> Join Zivli
>> Episode Freebie | Health Assessment Tracker Form
>> 10-Year Heart Disease Risk Estimator
>> The Ultimate Food Guide - Learn About Good, Neutral, and Bad Fats
>> How to Get Over Your Sugar Addiction - 5 Part Video Series
>> Episode 3. Tip to Break a Bad Habit: Change THIS Instead of Using Self-Control
>> Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
>> Blog Post: Facts About Fiber (with Tables of High Fiber Foods)