Improving Cardiovascular Health with Lifestyle Changes
Healthy lifestyle behaviours are an essential part of reducing risk of developing cardiovascular disease and are the recommended first-line treatment for all patients at any level of risk. Adequate physical activity and eating a healthy diet can reduce your risk of getting heart disease by 30-35%, which is similar to the benefit from statin therapy (medication). Maintaining this lifestyle long-term is key to reducing your overall cardiovascular risk.
The following resources provide general information on how lifestyle changes can help to reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. They are intended to provide general information that can be used to help get you started. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. While we have taken care selecting this list, we cannot accept any responsibility for the content published by the authors. Please consult websites for up to date information.
We have recordings available for our program called "Healthy Living with Cholesterol" for our patients to learn more about lifestyle management for heart health. This program is hosted by our Registered Dietitian. Check out our program webpage for more information.
NUTRITION
Eating the Mediterranean WayA validated tool designed to assess how well your current eating matches the Mediterranean eating pattern. Complete this questionnaire to get started on making dietary changes.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY The Canadian Cardiovascular Society recommends adults accumulate 150 mins of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic activity per week and at least 2 days of strength-based resistance training per week.
Use the FITT acronym: F: Frequency, try to exercise for at least 5 days a week doing aerobic activities and 2-3 days of strength and range of motion types activities. I: Intensity, try to exercise at moderate intensity. Use the talk test, you should be able to talk at moderate intensity but not sing. T: Time, the goal is 30 mins of continuous exercise at a time and try to achieve 150 minutes a week. You can start with just 10 mins and slowly build up. T: Type, the type of exercise should be fun, feasible, familiar and forever. In other words, do something that you enjoy, that you are familiar with and that you can do for a long time.
