This Valentine’s Day, take 10 minutes out to think about how much you look after your heart health. That little guy keeps you alive day in day out and what are you doing to thank him?
7.4 million people are living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK, they account for 27% of UK deaths, that’s 460 a day.
A number of lifestyle factors contribute significantly to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Diet and exercise
- 37% of adults in the UK do not meet physical activity recommendations
- You can reduce your risk of developing heart and circulatory disease by as much as 35% by being more active
- There are loads of way you can get more active from swimming to walking to home exercises. The NHS has lots of fitness guides and exercise tips here
- Only around a quarter of UK adults and one in six children in England and Scotland consume the recommended minimum five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Smoking
- A year after giving up smoking your risk of having a heart attack is 50% less than someone who smokes
- There is plenty of help available to help you to stop smoking, make an appointment with the GP via the myGP app of course) and have a conversation about all of the free tools available to you.
- If you’re struggling to quit, pay attention to the situations that make you want to smoke. If you always smoke when you’re stressed, tired or drinking alcohol, plan ahead for these moments so you develop new ways to cope
- Remember – every fresh start counts!
For more information on looking after your heart visit the British Heart Foundation
