University:
American Career College
Course:
NURS112 | Fundamentals of Nursing
Academic year:

2023
Views:

57

Pages:

2
Author:

kundgetanufv

Heart Disease According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. Heart disease is related to a process called atherosclerosis which is a condition that develops when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries. This buildup narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can stop the blood flow causing a heart attack or stroke. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die. Most people survive their first heart attack and return to their normal lives but they may have to make some changes. One change they can make is increase their physical activity which can positively affect the risk factors of stress, obesity, high blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Forty percent of people get their daily physical activity from their occupation, whether it’s working construction or walking to work everyday. I work retail so I am always moving in a fast pace environment. Studies have shown that increasing physical activity can help reduces stress which affects many other risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity. Physical activity can reducing fatigue, and improving alertness and concentration. Whenever I am stressed I go to the gym to cope and get my mind off of it. Reducing stress also reduces blood pressure. A regular blood pressure is 120/80. When you exercise regularly your blood pressure lowers because your heart gets stronger and doesn’t have to work as hard to pump the blood. Usually when I am stressed, I turn to comfort foods to help cope for example, fried foods. This can negatively affect my blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make your blood cholesterol level go up. Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. The continuation of eating comfort foods and inactivity may lead to obesity. Being overweight tends to increase your cholesterol. Losing weight can help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels. Regular activities strengthens the heart muscles and helps keeps the blood vessels resilient. Performing 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity can reduce your overall risk of getting heart disease.