MOUNT VERNON – Eat well, sleep well. Exercise. Don’t smoke.
Those are some of the key components of maintaining a healthy heart; Dr. Alix J. Tercius, a cardiologist at Knox Community Hospital, told the Mount Vernon News.
“Try to eat more natural foods like vegetables and less processed food,” he advised. “Try to control the salt in your diet. We all struggle with this because we are a consumption-driven society versus quality.”
You don’t have to engage in extreme exercise like an athlete to be healthy, Tercius noted.
“I’m not talking about being an athlete here,” he said. “I’m talking about walking. The more the better. If you get tired and sweat, that’s a good thing.”
It’s important to watch your calories as well.
“We all struggle with this at some level,” the doctor said. “But if you don’t pay attention to it at all, you will lose the race fast.”
Eating food that is good for you is not always easy, Tercius stated. It’s important to balance the foods you like with the foods that are healthy.
“I love bacon,” he said. “I would eat it every day. But if you balance the good and the bad, you will get good benefits.”
It’s also critical to consider genetic risk factors.
“We all have things that we get from our family,” Tercius said. “Some of us have high cholesterol. It’s in our family. So you have to know those risk factors and what to do to negate them. At some point, a good diet may not be enough. Your body is producing cholesterol and you may have to be on medication.”
Additionally, blood pressure and blood sugar are important to monitor and control.
“Control your risk factors and that can prevent cardiovascular problems in the future,” Tercius said.
The doctor noted there have been huge advancements in treatment for cardiovascular problems in recent years, but that does not lessen the need for people to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“Prevention is always better than treatment,” he said. “By the time we put in a stent and open an artery, we have already missed the boat. Many people won’t (need) to have that if they make changes in time.”
With changes in technology, many people now sit in front of screens all day, a sedentary lifestyle that makes it harder to control weight.
But it’s more important to focus conversation with patients on health rather than just on weight, Tercius said.
“You should walk once or twice a day for a good hour if you can,” he said. “That’s a great start.”
