The 6 bad habits which we need to change

There are 6 bad habits which together make up the sort of lifestyle that can cause heart disease.

1. We refuse to change
2. We smoke
3. We are too overweight
4. We don�t exercise
5. We let stress get on top of us
6. We don�t eat properly

All these habits are important. I�ll deal with each in turn, however I�ll focus primarily on No 6.

1. We refuse to change!

Every week, something or someone reminds us to look after our health � especially our heart! Do we listen? No! We just carry on as normal. We carry on smoking, drinking, eating badly and avoiding exercise. Our eating habits are particularly bad. It�s never been easier to eat healthily, but most of us just carry on eating the same old rubbish. This unwillingness to change, is a fundamental cause of most heart-attacks.

My advice: If after reading this page, you realise that some of your habits need changing: then change them! Don�t make the mistake of thinking that a heart-attack is something that only happens to other people. The cemeteries are full of people who held this opinion.

Is it worth taking heart disease seriously? Answer: YES!

* In the UK heart attacks are estimated to occur once every 45-60 seconds.
* In Ireland, 33 times more people die of heart disease than in all road accidents put together.
* In America, an estimated 1,000,000 people will die of heart-related disease in 2002.

About 1 person in 500 inherits an additional susceptibility to heart-attacks and strokes. If you believe that you fall into this category, or if you have a family history of heart disease, then as well as following the advice on this page, I strongly recommend that you visit your doctor for a check-up and a cholesterol test.

2. We smoke

If you smoke a packet of cigarettes a day, you double your risk of a heart-attack. You are also five times as likely to suffer a stroke. Smoking 40 cigarettes a day makes you five times as likely to suffer from a heart-attack. In Britain, 30,000 people die of heart disease annually as a direct result of smoking. Why? Because cigarette smoke contains over 850 chemical components which cause serious damage to the human body. They damage blood vessels, increase fat-levels, encourage blood-clotting and damage the walls of our arteries. [They also cause lung cancer.]

My advice: Ideally, stop smoking altogether. Smoking is a major health risk. If you won�t stop, then at least reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. In addition, since smoking is so bad for you, you must pay special attention to the rest of this page � especially the section on diet.

3. We are overweight

Being overweight is usually a sign that you are eating too many high-fat or high-sugar foods. To put it simply, your diet contains too many calories. Result? The excess calories are stored as fat throughout your body.

However, being 10-15 pounds overweight is not a problem: it�s only when you become 28 pounds (2 stone or more) overweight that you increase your risk of heart disease & strokes.

The Body Mass Index
To determine whether someone is overweight, most experts now use the Body Mass Index. The BMI links weight to height, so the taller you are the heavier you can be.

For more details, click Check your weight with the Body Mass Index

My advice: Using the BMI, check how overweight you are for your height. If you are less than 28 pounds (two stone) overweight, you should start to watch your calories. If you are more than 28 pounds overweight, I suggest that you get hold of a sensible diet and lose weight. (Note: Anne Collins Diet is both sensible and kind to hearts.)

4. We don't exercise enough

Unlike us, our great-grand-parents had no car, washing-machine, dryer or cooker. Result? When they went to church, they walked. When they washed, they did it by hand. When they cooked, they first went for water. In other words, exercise was part of their everyday life. Today, however, we take very little exercise, which is very bad news for our heart. Why? Because if our heart doesn�t get enough exercise, it gets weak and can�t pump blood as efficiently as it should.

However, if we exercise regularly: our heart gets stronger, the level of fat in our bloodstream drops and our arteries stay clear of those dangerous deposits that cause blockages. The moral? Get lots of exercise, preferably in the fresh air!

My advice: The easiest way to start exercising is to start walking. But please take things gradually and go at your own speed! For example, start with a light 15-20 min walk every day. After a while, increase your speed and swing your arms as you move. As your fitness improves, increase the length of your walk to about 40 minutes and include one steep-ish hill.

If you are too overweight to go walking, then try a few light indoor exercises. Even sitting in a chair clenching and unclenching your fist for 10 minutes a day is better than nothing.

Theoretically, according to the Journal of Advanced Medicine, every mile you walk gives you an extra 21 minutes of life and saves you 30 cents (20p) in medical care!

5. We let stress get on top of us

Stress is bad for our heart in several ways
For example, it automatically increases the clot-ability of our blood. This mechanism was originally designed to help us survive by preventing loss of blood from serious wounds. However in today�s world it merely increases the risk of heart-attack. For example, in the 60 minutes following a very stressful event, our risk of heart-attack can double. Unfortunately, we can�t avoid stress. For example, career pressure, money worries, family problems and personal anxieties are ever-present in most homes.

However, stress itself is not the problem: it�s how we deal with it that counts.

My advice: Get things into perspective! Remember: the only thing that really counts is good health. Everything else is a luxury which isn�t really worth worrying about.

Get organised
For example, if you are very busy then make a daily list of things to do. A list helps us to become more efficient. Result? We have more time to relax.

Take more control over your life
For example, don�t let your employer or your family treat you like a doormat. If they do, tell them to stop. If this doesn�t work, perhaps it�s time to walk away.

Set aside 15-20 minutes every day, to relax
If you don�t have time, make time!
After all, what is more important than your good health?

6. We don't eat properly

If you want to look after your heart, here are five basic suggestions for improving your diet:

* Eat lots of fruit and vegetables.
* Eat less fat � especially saturated fat.
* Cut down on sugar.
* Fill up with lots of solid food.
* Eat more super-foods!