With the holidays behind us, the great annual tradition of making (and soon after, breaking) our New Year’s resolutions has begun. As a cardiologist, my favorite resolutions are those related to your health. A better diet, losing weight, more exercise — these are all noble pursuits. But for most, these grand January gestures will end in an unused gym membership in March. But that doesn’t have to be the case. With a few tweaks, your decision to invest in your own health can pay dividends all year and even longer.
Here are five resolutions to be good to your heart in 2017:
1. Focus on activity, not just exercise. Many people believe the only way to help your heart is by doing cardio at a gym. The truth is that your heart starts to see some benefit when your heart rate increases only 20 to 30 percent above your baseline. And small bursts of activity throughout the day help your heart, even if you don’t sustain the activity for 20 to 30 minutes straight. Running, swimming, biking and even brisk walking are all great exercises. But if you don’t think you’ll be able to do those, small changes like parking at the far end of the lot or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work will do wonders for your heart. And chances are, you’ll still be doing these things next time New Year’s resolutions roll around.
[See: 5 People Who Are Changing the Face of Yoga.]
2. Make better food choices. I’m often asked which diet is best. The truth is that any diet will likely help you lose weight in the short term because all diets make you pay more attention to what you eat. And most diets will not help you keep the weight off long term because extreme changes in food habits are not sustainable. The good news is that if you’re looking for a diet to help your heart, victory is in the journey, not the destination. If you choose to eat more fruits and non-potato vegetables and less beef, pork and lamb, and if you stick to your plan throughout the year, you’re helping your heart even if your waistline never changes.
3. Consider what touch point you need with your doctor. In this era of high-tech medicine, you don’t need to see your doctor as often as you did in the past. While an annual physical exam is not a requirement for most healthy people, there is value to checking in with your doctor. Make sure you’re up to date on preventive care measures for your age, gender and health history. Check if you’re taking the right medications, and review any nagging symptoms you’ve been having. This can go a long way toward protecting you from the worst consequences of heart disease. So resolve to check your online patient portal if your doctor offers one, send an email or schedule a phone call. If your doctor suggests it, make an appointment to touch base about your health.
[See: 15 Best Weight-Loss Diets at a Glance.]
4. Stress less. Multiple studies over the years have shown that extreme emotional distress or stress can trigger a heart attack in the same way that extreme exercise can. Stress can trigger the “flight or flight” response, and that surge of adrenaline makes your heart pump faster and harder in the same way that vigorous exercise does. In a vulnerable patient, this adrenaline surge can stimulate a clot to form in one of the arteries going to your heart, resulting in a heart attack. Of course, just saying you’re going to stress less is not enough. Instead, try isolating one trigger and resolve to stress less in that one area. If your children are the source of your stress, resolve to yell less. If work is your trigger, focus on the sources of your burdens on the job and try to alleviate them. Treat stress reduction like a prescription for your heart. And ask for help. Friends and family can be great sources of support, but can only help if they know help is needed.
[Read: 11 Simple, Proven Ways to Optimize Your Mental Health.]
5. Be kind. This may seem like a peculiar addition to a list of resolutions for your heart, but it’s a surprisingly important factor in heart disease. In a little known study from 2011, researchers found that patients who were more hostile during the initial research interview were at double the risk of having a heart attack in the 10 years following the interview. Choosing to be kind is a simple change that requires no cost and minimal effort. So resolve to be kind to your heart by being kind for your heart.
Whatever your goals for 2017, resolving to better your health is always a great idea. By making these five small changes to your lifestyle, your resolutions can make a healthier you.
More from U.S. News
How Social Workers Help Your Health
16 Health Screenings All Women Need
How to Find the Best Mental Health Professional for You
In 2017, Resolve to Take Care of Your Heart originally appeared on usnews.com
