Aheart age calculator can give you a good indication of your heart age, compared to your actual age. By asking questions about your general health, and some of the risk factors for heart disease that you may have, the tool can give an estimate on the health of your heart in general, and whether or not you are at risk of developing heart problems in the future.
But what happens if you discover that your heart age is actually older than you?
Well, it’s important to know that heart disease is largely preventable – meaning that there are things you can do to prevent it. Alongside family history, lifestyle poses the biggest risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Changes to things like your diet, exercise habits, and smoking can all reduce your risk massively – and bring your heart age down.
Here, we explore the small changes you can make that will have the biggest impact:
Maintain a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is very important for the health of your heart and can reduce your risk of many serious health problems. Eating a well-balanced diet is key, which should consist of a wide range of food groups, the majority of which are whole foods.
Exercise
Exercise is a great way to improve your heart’s health, making it stronger and healthier, and boosting your overall health too.
Cholesterol
A high cholesterol level can increase your risk of heart disease. Understanding your levels, and how to reduce your bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins or LDL), which can accumulate in our arteries, and increase good cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins or HDL), which can carry cholesterol back to the liver, can reduce your risk.
Blood pressure
High blood pressure can increase our risk of heart disease. Often with no symptoms, it’s important to visit your doctor to get it checked out. If it is too high, a healthier diet and regular exercise, are simple ways to lower your blood pressure.
Smoking
Quit now! Smoking is bad for your heart (and the rest of you), causing damage to your blood cells and blood vessels. If you are living with other risk factors, such as obesity or high blood pressure, your risk is increased further.
If your heart age reveals that your heart isn’t as healthy as you thought, don’t panic. See your doctor and together, you can make a plan to change your lifestyle, and reduce your risk.
It’s important to remember that the heart age calculator gives an estimate only, and you should always talk to your doctor to get an accurate view of the overall health of your heart.