Having a family history of heart disease can increase your chances of experiencing the same condition. It can be concerning to know that you might develop heart disease or other heart health conditions, but it is important to remember that you’re not alone. Your first step in getting peace of mind should be to talk to your GP about your concerns. They will be able to advise on the right lifestyle changes and tests that could help you understand and manage your risk level better.
Fortunately, for anyone with a family history of heart disease, or even if you’re simply concerned about your heart health in the future, there are simple changes you can make. Many of these are lifestyle changes that can take some time and concerted effort to turn into a habit, but the benefits will be long-lasting and effective.
Cut Out High-Risk Behaviours
Certain lifestyle choices can increase your risk of developing heart disease in the future. Often, your doctor will recommend that you cut back on these as the first step to safeguarding your heart health. High-risk things that your doctor may recommend you cut back on or change include:
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Eating less salt and sugar
- Being inactive
- Being overweight
Making some or all of these changes at once can feel daunting, so it may help to break your goals down into manageable chunks. There are plenty of resources available to help with things like losing weight, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol in moderation.
Talk To A Specialist
You may have specific questions about your heart, heart disease and how your family history could impact you in the future. You may also feel more reassured by having some heart health tests carried out, which can give you definitive answers about how concerned you should be. Visiting a specialist with decades of experience can be an excellent way to get a full heart health MOT. Choose a highly experienced professional, like Expert Cardiologist, to give yourself the best peace of mind for your health.
Exercise Consistently
Exercise is essential when maintaining heart health; our hearts are muscles, and like any other muscle, it will benefit from regular exercise. This is why exercise that gets our heart rate up – aerobic exercise – is often recommended for anyone wanting to manage their heart health better. It can feel daunting to start a new exercise routine, particularly if you’ve been inactive for a while. Starting with small steps can be invaluable, helping you build up your stamina and get used to incorporating exercise into your lifestyle.
Summing Up
People who have a family history of heart disease might feel considerable anxiety about their future health. If you want to live a life free of worries about your heart, it’s never too soon to take your heart health into your own hands. Simple and relatively minor lifestyle adjustments can go a long way to changing your heart health outlook – giving you the peace of mind you deserve.
