If you lead a stressful daily life and can’t find the time or motivation to eat healthily, stay physically active, and take care of your mental health, it takes a toll on your overall well-being. It can be difficult to break unhealthy habits, as they’ve often been in place for many years and you may not notice the consequences because they tend to creep up on you. An unhealthy lifestyle can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which can cause cardiovascular disease. About 475,000 Danes live with cardiovascular disease, which is a 17% increase since 2006.

The Heart Association's recommendations for preventing cardiovascular disease

The Heart Association recommends exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a social life, avoiding stress, not smoking, and drinking in moderation to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Find the motivation to exercise

Make exercise fun by finding a sport you enjoy or by staying active with a good friend or in a group you like. Physical activity strengthens your heart, lowers your blood pressure, gives you energy for everyday life, and is good for your bones and muscles. Be active for 30 minutes a day and, in addition, get your heart rate up a few times a week with higher-intensity exercise.

Dietary Guidelines for Better Heart Health

Your diet also plays a significant role in your heart health. Eat more whole grains, fish, and vegetables, and go easy on salt and sugar. Replace saturated fats from animal products—such as butter, cheese, and meat—with unsaturated fats from plant-based foods, such as vegetable oils and nuts.

In addition to diet and exercise, the Heart Association also recommends maintaining strong social connections. Being part of different communities brings joy and has a positive impact on your mental health. Your communities can provide you with support during difficult times, and you can share your interests with them.

How does mental health affect the body?

Your mental health can affect your physical health. That is why it is also important to avoid stress. Prolonged stress affects the circulatory system through the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This can have a negative impact on your blood pressure, heart rate, blood lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity. In addition, people experiencing stress are more likely to adopt unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as taking up smoking, increasing alcohol consumption, having poor sleep habits, being physically inactive, and eating an unhealthy diet.

The Effects of Smoking and Alcohol on the Body

Avoid smoking, including secondhand smoke, as it increases the risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been smoking, it’s worth quitting. You’ll notice a significant difference right after you quit.

Alcohol isn’t something you should drink for health reasons, but the heart can generally tolerate alcohol in moderate amounts. Women should limit themselves to no more than 7 drinks per week, and men to no more than 14 drinks per week.

By taking these precautions, you can reduce your risk of developing or worsening a cardiovascular disease.

By Josefine Huusom