You have the power to significantly lower your risk of heart disease. Making small healthy changes to your daily routine can have a significant impact on your heart health. Find out your lifestyle risk factors and steps you can take to lower your risk.
smoking
Smoking damages the heart, brain, and other blood vessels in the body. This allows you to:
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2 to 5 times more likely to die from a heart attack
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Twice as likely to die from a stroke;
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They are three times more likely to die from sudden cardiac arrest.
Therefore, quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for the health of your heart and the health of those around you.
The good news is that quitting smoking greatly reduces the risks to your heart health. More smokers successfully quit than currently smoke. Many smokers quit on their own. However, if you find it difficult to quit, there is a range of support available. This includes calling the Quitline on 13 78 48 and talking to your doctor about medicines that may help you quit smoking.
Learn more about smoking and the heart and find practical tips to stay smoke-free.
unhealthy eating habits
The foods you eat can affect your heart health. What and how much you eat can affect other risk factors for heart disease, including cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and weight. Eating a heart-healthy diet is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Eating in a heart-healthy way is not a matter of individual nutrients, “good” and “bad” foods, or strict diets. It’s about sustainable change and the choices you make over time. A heart-healthy diet is low in unhealthy fats, salt, and added sugar, and rich in whole grains, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats.
Read more about how to eat heart-healthy and download healthy recipes.
inactive
People who aren’t active enough have a higher risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Did you know that over 80% of Australian adults don’t get enough exercise?
Regular physical activity and frequent exercise can reduce your risk of developing a heart attack or heart disease. Staying active can also help control heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being overweight.
When you’re active, you feel more energetic, your bones and muscles are stronger, and you feel happier and more relaxed.
Start with small, realistic goals and work your way up to the recommended 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (like a brisk walk) most days of the week.
Read now for tips on how to stay active every day.
unhealthy weight
Being overweight or obese can lead to a variety of health conditions and increase your chances of developing heart disease. It can cause the following situations:
These conditions increase the chance of a heart attack. Two thirds of Australian adults are overweight or obese.
Achieving a healthy weight is an important step to improving your heart, health, and well-being. It helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol and lowers the risk of developing heart disease.
The waist size should be 80cm or less for women and 94cm or less for men. We all know that losing weight can be difficult. It takes time and effort. The best way to lose weight is to slowly change your eating habits and become more active. Start with small changes to your diet, aim for realistic goals, and build up from there.
Learn more about assessing your weight and tips for maintaining a healthy weight.
alcohol
Heavy drinking and binge eating can increase your chances of developing heart disease. Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time can increase heart rate and blood pressure, weaken the heart muscle, and increase levels of some fats (triglycerides) in the blood.
If you drink alcohol, you should limit yourself to no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks per day. The less you drink, the lower your risk of alcohol-related harm. One standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol. All packaged alcoholic drinks in Australia must display the standard number of drinks they contain. If you don’t know how much you’re drinking, the label will tell you that information. You can reduce the amount you drink by alternating between drinks with lower kilojoules, such as plain mineral water, light beer, and low-alcohol options.
