Heart-health planning: words of wisdom

Whether you’ve had a heart attack or simply want to lead a healthier life, a heart-health plan can help you make healthy decisions. If you are developing a heart-health plan, here are some words of wisdom to inspire you.

A heart-health plan is strategy for how you can live life in a way that leads to a healthier heart. Ideally, your plan should be tailored to your specific objectives, needs and health profile, but in general it may cover the following areas:

• Eating habits
• Exercise habits
• Sleep habits
• Management of existing health issues

While you are making your body as healthy as possible to minimize the risk of a heart attack, it is important to take trigger factors into account. Rather than the steady drip of unhealthy factors that over the long term can lead to plaque, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, triggers act in the short term to promote a heart attack in someone who is already susceptible.

In the context of a lifelong plan for a healthier lifestyle, you need to remind yourself repeatedly where the danger points lie so that you can work out how to avoid or counteract them. These triggers may include:

• Acute stress caused by, for example, a failing business or highly challenging work deadline
• Uncontrolled anger
• A fat-laden, heavy meal
• Extreme cold
• Early mornings (especially Mondays)
• Commuting
• Excessively loud noises
• Irregular heavy exertion
• Air pollution
• Severe emotional upset
• Death of a loved one
• Binge drinking
• Flu and other serious respiratory infections

Believing in yourself will make it easier to maintain your new healthy lifestyle. The more confidence you have in your ability to exercise regularly, the more likely you are to enjoy it and the less likely you are to give up.

The other key factor for success is motivation, or how much you intend to exercise. If you stay confident and motivated, chances are you will stay physically active.

There is no point thinking of your new lifestyle as a quick fix – you need to stick with it. Celebrate your triumphs, sustain the successful changes you've made, modify those that aren't working, and keep making small alterations and adaptations.

Your plan shouldn't dominate your life, but neither should it disappear within a few weeks or months of setting out on your mission; it should simply become a part of your daily routine. Refresh your memory regarding why you're doing this from time to time. Be determined to sustain your plan for as long as you live.

When it comes to heart health, even small changes can make a big difference over time, so why not start taking steps toward a healthier heart today!