1. Eat healthy foods
Changing your diet results in healthy rewards. In taking of less saturated fat and cholesterol may lower the cholesterol levels in your blood. Make these healthy choices:
- Eat at least four servings daily of fruits and vegetables;
- Switch to low- calorie and low- fat snacks;
- use canola safflower or olive oils instead of oil or fat;
- try to eat your food without any salt;
- While choosing a meat make a choice of skinless chicken turkey fish and lean red meats. Do not fry, instead bake boil or broil.
2. Keep a healthy weight
Do you know your BMI? Do you weigh more than you should? If you think you do, your body may be turning excess fat and cholesterol into plaque. Blood flow to your brain can be reduced by the plaques in your blood vessel. Extra weigh can also make working your heart harder, increasing your blood pressure. If you lose weight, you may reduce both risk factors at the same time.
3. Move more
To lose weight your body needs to burn more calories than it takes in. Exercise is good way to burn up calories and help shed extra pounds. It also helps in better working of your heart and blood vessels. Enjoy moderate intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes most days. Try these easy forms of physical activity:
- Dance;
- Walk- it is one of the best forms of exercise. Try joining a mall- walkers club or take a walk during your lunchtime at work.
- Swim or ride a bicycle.
Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
4. Limit alcohol intake
Do not have more than two alcoholic drinks a day if you are a man or have a one in case if you are a woman. Too much alcohol may rise up your blood’s cholesterol level. Drinking too much also increases blood pressure and adds calories to your diet.
5. Blood pressure – High blood pressure is the top risk factor for stroke. If you have high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s recommendation for lifestyle changes and medication. Many people with mildly high readings can lower them by simply altering the way they live, such as improving diet and increasing physical activity. Otherwise, stay on any medication your doctor prescribes.
6. Smoking – If you smoke quit. Smoking is a major preventable risk factor for stroke. The carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarette smoke hurt the cardiovascular system by damaging and narrowing blood vessels and causing blood to clot. Quitting smoking is tough, but it is worth it.
7. Aspirin – It is proved by various studies that aspirin and other kinds of anti- platelet medications help people at a high risk of stroke to prevent an attack. By interfering with the blood’s ability to clot, aspirin can play an important role in prevention. Doctors recommend aspirin for people who have already suffered stroke. But remember! No one should start taking aspirin without first consulting a doctor.
8. Drink water – Many studies have found out that people who drink more than six glasses of water per day were half as likely to die from a stroke as those who do not. This is probably attributable to the actual fact that maintaining normal hydration keeps blood flowing well; dehydration will cause sluggish flow of blood and increase the danger of forming clots. Water is best when it the body needs to improve blood flow.
source: instiks
