Staying healthy and active is not always easy since many conditions can affect and hinder you from living your life to the fullest. Conditions like peripheral artery disease may make you withdraw from activities you regularly enjoy. Peripheral artery disease occurs when plaque builds up in your arteries, causing a decrease in blood flow. The condition makes it hard for your organs to get sufficient blood, mainly affecting your limbs. Peripheral Artery Disease Frisco can be prevented in various ways, making it easy to maintain an active and healthier lifestyle. Below are some tips to help prevent peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Proper diet
A heart-healthy diet is critical as you strive to improve overall health, including reducing PAD risk. Cutting items like saturated and trans fats from your diet and sticking to a heart-healthy diet is recommended. Cut back on items like red meat, and go more with nuts, seeds, legumes, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables.
Engaging in physical activities
Exercising can help promote your overall health. One of the most effective PAD prevention measures is engaging in regular physical activity. Exercising helps to improve and maintain the heart rhythm, which allows blood to circulate freely. A practical physical activity regimen doesn’t require hitting the gym and breaking a sweat. Simple measures like daily walks, swimming, or cycling could suffice.
Quit smoking
Tobacco smoke narrows and damages blood vessels. It also reduces the quantity of oxygen in the blood. Smoke chemicals also lead to plaque buildup. When you quit smoking, you will help slow down PAD development. If you are having a hard time quitting, try tools like nicotine replacement medicines or behavioral modification programs. Smoking does more harm to your health, and quitting will help achieve more than reducing PAD risk.
Diabetes management
Diabetes significantly increases PAD risk. This is due to high blood glucose, which causes inflammation leading to blood vessel anomalies. Besides accelerating PAD development, diabetes also increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. Effective diabetes management, including proper diet, exercise, and taking prescription medication as directed, is critical. It helps prevent the condition and other diabetes-related complications.
Cholesterol control
High cholesterol/fat in the blood is among the top PAD risk factors. Cholesterol, especially bad fat (LDL), clogs blood vessels. The plaque leads to increased blood pressure and, with the potential damage and fat accumulation, significantly impacts heart health and the overall circulatory system. Weight management is among the top hacks to help keep the bad fat in check. Besides diet and exercise, you can opt for professional services, including weight loss surgery. This is more so if your regimen is not delivering notable results, you are obese, or battling other medical conditions. You reduce PAD risk and improve your overall health with every pound you lose.
PAD can make your quest to manage activities of daily living harder, especially considering the leg pain and its impact on your mobility. The best strategy is prevention, and with a good exercise regimen, diet, weight management, and keeping other conditions like diabetes in check, you can effectively keep PAD at bay. Visit Prime Heart and Vascular today for more on peripheral artery disease prevention and management.
