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Lifestyle choices

It may be an old adage, but it's absolutely true that it's never too late to change your lifestyle. Even in old age, there are huge benefits to stopping smoking, being more active, limiting alcohol and eating more healthily.

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Lifestyle choices

There are a number of things you can do to reduce your risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Click on the icons below to learn more about the Lifestyle Changes you can make to keep your heart healthy.

The Main Causes of Heart Disease

1. High blood pressure

Know your numbers …

Having a healthy blood pressure is essential to maintaining a healthy heart.

More than one in ten people living in York are known to have high blood pressure (hypertension), a leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

What’s your blood pressure? Do you know your numbers? Next time you see your doctor or practice nurse, ask them to check.

1. High Blood Pressure

Having a healthy blood pressure is essential to maintaining a healthy heart....
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2. Smoking

Giving up smoking is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your...
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3. High cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance known as a lipid and is vital for the normal functioning of the body. It's mainly made by the liver, but can also be found in some foods...
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4. Overweight

If you’d like free local support to help you lose weight...
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5. Poorly controlled diabetes

People with diabetes have a higher chance of developing cardio...
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6. Inactivity

Exercise is the miracle cure we've always had, but for too long we've neglected to take our recommended dose...
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7. Too much alcohol

Do you know how much you are drinking? Keep a drinks diary for a week...
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8. Unhealthy diet

We recommend eating a healthy, balanced, high-fibre diet...
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9. Stress

Spotting the early signs of stress will also help prevent it getting...
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If you're aged 40-74 years old you may be eligible for a
FREE NHS health check. Part of this check involves
assessing your individual CVD risk and advising you how
to reduce it.

The council funds health checks - to find out if you are eligible, visit:

City of York Council resident
North Yorkshire County Council resident
East Riding of Yorkshire Council resident

 

Look after your heart...

 

Exercise

1. Exercise

30 minutes exercise a day keeps your heart healthy …

The best way of maintaining a healthy weight – and reduce your chances of developing high blood pressure - is to combine a healthy diet with regular exercise.

That means around 30 minutes of physical exercise on five or more days a week – things like: fast walking, riding a bike, mowing the lawn, hiking and much more.  

Regular exercise makes your heart and blood circulatory system more efficient, lowers your cholesterol level, and keeps your blood pressure at a healthy level.

If you're doing no exercise now, start out slow. Even 10 minutes at a time may offer some health benefits. Studies show that people who have achieved even a moderate level of fitness are much less likely to die early than those with a low fitness level.

There’s lots of information about building up and maintaining your fitness on the “live well” pages at NHS Choices.

Smartphones

2. Smartphones

Let your smartphone do the talking …

There are lots of helpful tools you can download to your smartphone to help with changing your lifestyle:

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