anxiety and stress over the past months,”
says Karol Watson, MD, associate professor of cardiology at UCLA’s David Gef-fen School of Medicine. “Much of heart
disease can be prevented; that’s why it is
so important to follow a healthy lifestyle
and to control your cardiovascular risk
factors.”
To keep your ticker ticking while the
economy’s flatlining, Watson and her colleagues recommend these tips:
1. Avoid salty, fatty food. To save money,
eat at restaurants less and cook at
home more — cooking simple fresh
foods from scratch. Also maintain a
healthy weight, as obesity has been
shown to increase the risk of heart
attacks, heart failure and diabetes.
2. Don’t skimp on health care. Delaying
care when you have symptoms can
hurt your health in the long run. If
prescription costs are a concern,
ask your doctor about lower-cost
prescription programs.
3. Keep up the exercise. Even if you
have to cancel your gym membership because of its cost, don’t cancel
exercise altogether. Instead, embrace
low-cost activities like walking and
make sure you get 30 to 60 minutes
of exercise daily.
4. Stop smoking. It’s better for both your
heart and your wallet to quit smoking, which is an expensive habit that
increases your risk of heart attack and
heart failure.
5. Reduce stress. To fight stress, which
can exacerbate poor health, spend
more time socializing with family
and friends, meditating and exercis-
ing — all of
which can
lower your
stress levels.
6. Check your
cholesterol.
Because high
cholesterol doesn’t produce symptoms until it’s too late, having your
cholesterol levels checked annually
is important. The ideal level for LDL
— or “bad” — cholesterol is less
than 100. If your levels are higher,
develop an appropriate plan of
action for lowering them with your
doctor.
