How to decrease your risk or improve your outcome of heart disease:
- Adopt a healthier lifestyle
- Make a serious attempt to lose weight if you are overweight – aim for 0.5 – 1kg (1 - 2 pounds) per week
- Decrease your blood pressure and cholesterol to optimal levels, by following a cardio-protective diet
How to maintain your body weight:
To maintain your body weight, you need to burn the same number of calories through daily activities and exercise, as you consume from food.
If you are overweight and need to lose weight, the calories you burn should be more than the calories you eat.
This can be achieved by decreasing your portion sizes, cutting down on calorie-dense foods and being more active
Benefits of staying active:
- Combining exercise with a calorie controlled diet will help you to achieve a healthy body weight
- It will also reduce your risk for heart disease, by lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure
- Exercise can help relieve depression and stress
- Exercise contributes to better quality sleep and overall health
If you have been diagnosed with heart disease, first seek guidance from your physician and physiotherapist on the intensity and time that is safe for you to exercise.
How long should I exercise:
If you want to decrease your risk of heart disease, and have a healthy weight, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on five or more days of the week.
If you are attempting to lose weight or maintain weight loss, aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, most days of the week.
Examples of exercise:
- Walk briskly for 30 minutes in your lunch break at work, or in the afternoons
- Take up swimming in your local pool or in the ocean
- Peddle on a bicycle for 30 minutes at a moderate intensity
- Join a step or aerobics class at a gym
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator