Adopting A Healthy Lifestyle is Heart Smart!

by Heather McLaughlin

Need another reason to start making a lifestyle change?

Here’s one. The American Heart Association has found that eating right, moderate exercise while maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and drinking in moderation can help decrease the chance of heart disease.

The benefits of the healthy habits were apparent even if they were adopted over time.

“In other words, it’s never to late to change,” said Stephanie Chiuve. “You can still achieve benefits if you make changes in middle age or later in life.”

Men with the lowest risk of heart disease were those who practiced all five healthy habits, but not smoking alone reduced the risk of heart problems by 50 percent, she said.

Don’t wait a moment longer to implement changes that will affect you later in life. Choosing healthy foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats as well as 20-30 minutes of daily exercise are part of living an active and healthy lifestyle.