Achieve these 7 basic goals to live healthy

The American Heart Association strongly promotes "Life's Simple 7" to raise awareness of what it exactly means to live healthy. More importantly, there has been significant research in looking at these 7 goals and how they reduce the chance of developing heart disease and even cardiac death. 

The Life's Simple 7 are as follows:

1. Manage blood pressure 
2. Control cholesterol 
3. Reduce blood sugar
4. Get active
5. Eat better
6. Lose weight
7. Stop smoking

A more detailed discussion into what each of these goals means...

MANAGE BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure goes undiagnosed and many times because of the lack of time with your physician, it may not be treated appropriately. Many organs can be injured from high blood pressure aside from developing a stroke or a heart attack. These include kidneys, liver, your GI tract, eyes, and much more. Goal blood pressure is less than 120/80.

CONTROL CHOLESTEROL
By reducing your cholesterol levels, you give your arteries the best chance of not getting clogged. Plaques form from cholesterol deposits that can lead to strokes or heart attacks.

REDUCE BLOOD SUGAR
We may not realize how much sugar we consume as several foods we eat are full of sugar. The average American, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), consumes anywhere between 150 to 170 pounds of sugar in 1 year! That is equal to about 30-34 five pound bags of sugar lined up next to one another in a counter! High blood sugar levels affect every organ in our body, including fighting infections and healing wounds. Certainly, Diabetes is a major concern when one consumes a lot of sugar. Diabetes is a multi-system disease and the good news is that it is preventable and treatable. So how much sugar should you eat? As close to zero as you can get.

GET ACTIVE
Here is the skinny on how much activity you truly need:

EAT BETTER
We know the usual stuff don't we:

• a variety of fruits and vegetables,
• whole grains,
• low-fat dairy products,
• skinless poultry and fish
• nuts and legumes
• non-tropical vegetable oils
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LOSE WEIGHT
What is the ideal weight? We are all inundated with advertisements of what it means to "look fit." So here is the truth and reality of what goals regarding weight actually result in optimal cardiovascular health, longevity, and living well. By focusing on your BMI, you can get a good assessment of where you need to be. It is a simple calculation by knowing your height and weight. Calculate yours today!


STOP SMOKING
This is a no brainer. The days of the Marlboro man are gone and most have tossed the cigarettes. Smoking causes cardiovascular disease, increases risk for stroke, peripheral vascular disease that can lead to amputation of limbs, poor wound healing, emphysema where you may need oxygen to breathe, and many types of deadly cancers. There is strong evidence regarding the risk of second hand smoke and the fact that it can cause similar damage to the body as if the person was a smoker. 

To get in-depth information regarding these 7 goals, visit this site

Wishing you a life full of joy, happiness, and good health, 
- Dr. Ahmed