The New Year is upon us and you may see the changing of the calendar as an opportunity to renew your health and wellness commitments. That’s an admirable goal but, to stick with it, it’s best to create a plan and consider your key challenges, says Damon Motley, a cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation nurse at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City, Mo.
"A large part of my job is helping patients identify important risk factors that are contributing to their particular disease and coming up with a plan to change them,” Motley said. “Learning about these risk factors, why we have them and why they are important to change, helps my patients improve their health literacy and chances of success. Knowledge of these risk factors can help anyone on their wellness journey and help you prevent chronic and debilitating disease.”
One very common and important risk factor for heart disease is high blood pressure or hypertension. According to the American Heart Association, half of U.S. adults have hypertension but only one in four has it under control. The heart continuously goes through a cycle of squeezing to pump blood around the body and relaxing to fill back up. We measure this squeeze as systolic blood pressure, and relaxation as diastolic blood pressure. If these numbers are higher than 140/90 mmHg, the arteries under pressure can become damaged, making them stiff and allowing artery-occluding plaques to form.
“Eventually this can lead to coronary artery disease and a heart attack,” Motley added. “Measuring your blood pressure regularly and sharing this information with your doctor can help manage this risk factor. A combination of exercise, diet, smoking cessation and medication can lower this risk factor and keep your heart happy for years to come.”
Another common risk factor for chronic disease is inactivity or being sedentary. The Centers for Disease Control recommends every American get 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week, or 150 minutes a week, plus two days of strengthening exercises.
“Physical activity can be going for a walk, swimming, cycling, doing yardwork, dancing, lifting weights, or just about anything that gets you up and moving, increases your heart rate, and burns calories,” he said.
Studies show that the more hours a day you sit, the more your metabolism tilts towards higher inflammation, insulin resistance, and weight gain. Place limits on your screen time and replace it with any activity that you find enjoyable, Motley suggests. Start off easy with short frequent bursts of activity and progressively increase over time. Research shows it does not all have to be at once. In fact, it may be better to space it out over the day with multiple sessions. “It is true that if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it,” he said.
The last risk factor to discuss is related to cholesterol, that waxy plaque mentioned earlier that can clog the arteries throughout the body, most importantly the coronary arteries of the heart. The liver makes different kinds of cholesterol in response to a variety of factors, such as genetics, dietary pattern, smoking, and activity level. A simple blood test known as a lipid panel can tell you what your total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels are. If the balance of bad LDL cholesterol is too high and good HDL cholesterol too low, the risk of heart attack and stroke increase. Eat a diet low in processed foods and animal fats, he said, and increase the amount of high fiber fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and healthy unsaturated fats from nuts and seeds. Desired HDL levels greater than 40 is recommended. If it is greater than 60, it can even reduce heart disease risk.
Knowing these numbers for blood pressure, physical activity, and cholesterol can hopefully give you guidance in making and sticking to your healthy New Year’s goals. “All of these goals are relatively easy to measure, track, and share with your family, friends, and health care providers,” Motley noted. “Small changes to your habits and lifestyle can add up to huge changes in the coming months. Stick to your plan and you can make 2024 the healthiest year yet.”
