Nearly 83 million people in the United States have some form of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death among Americans. While the holidays are a joyous time of year, they can also become stressful.
With offices in Tampa and Lutz, Florida, Muthu Velusamy, MD, FACC, ABVM, and our team at Cardiovascular Institute of America, are here to help you maintain optimal heart health. In this month’s blog, we offer five simple tips to keep your heart happy while you deck the halls.
A healthy heart requires adopting good habits that avoid causing damage. The following can negatively affect your heart health, increasing your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke:
Researchers suggest that both physical and mental stressors are commonly linked to heart-related health problems.
Fortunately, you can reduce or even eliminate heart-disease-promoting stress, this holiday season and beyond. These five tips are an excellent starting point:
As much as possible, don’t let holiday chaos disrupt your regular routine. This includes your usual nutritious eating habits, oral health care routines, exercise, and sleep.
Make healthy habits a priority when planning and attending holiday festivities. For example, make nutritious choices at holiday parties, don’t skip workouts, and avoid disrupting your usual healthy sleep routine.
Stress is sometimes inevitable, while other times it’s brought on by procrastinating the things you’re not so excited about.
Purchase your gifts and make holiday plans early this season. You won’t have to stress over last-minute planning, holiday shopping crowds, or extra travel expenses that creep up as the holiday fast approaches. If shopping in stores feels too stressful, consider online gift giving instead this year.
Being active is one of the best gifts you can give your heart, as it helps you lower your blood pressure, control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and keep your weight in check.
Physical activity is also a major stress-reducer, which can have a dramatically healthy impact on your heart. Choose exercises you enjoy and get outdoors as much as possible.
One of the best ways to combat holiday stress is to take time out of your day to complete stress-reducing activities. Some to consider include meditation, journaling, massage, yoga, tai chi, and deep breathing exercises.
Prioritize relaxing activities you enjoy, whether it’s planning a family holiday movie night, reading a good book, or taking a relaxing walk outside.
Holiday stress often stems from an overbooked schedule. While family time and holiday parties can be great fun, too much of a good thing can make stress levels rise.
Allow yourself downtime this holiday season by saying “no” to some of the social events, long travel days, touristy attractions, or other year-end activities that may push you over your stress threshold.
Also, see Dr. Velusamy regularly at Cardiovascular Institute of America to maximize your heart health and overall well-being. He can help you better manage heart disease risk factors, reducing your risk of life-altering complications. If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, he offers highly effective treatments to help optimize your longevity.
Schedule heart health screenings or treatments at Cardiovascular Institute of America at one of our three Tampa-area locations: We have an office in Lutz, and two more in Tampa, Florida. Contact us by phone today, or request an appointment online at your convenience
