As American's move toward a healthier lifestyle, there are some lifestyle factors, that if you change them, can help you live healthier and avoid a heart attack.
Here's a quick look at some of the worst habits for your heart.
Spending too much time watching TV can actually be fatal. That's according to a 2011 study published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers found that people who devoted four or more hours a day to watching the TV, had double the risk of a major cardiac event resulting in hospitalization, death or both.
So instead of watching those four hours, settle for two hours and the other two, walking.
Having a negative attitude. While stress and depression have long been linked to higher heart disease risk, a new Harvard review of more than 200 earlier studies, published this month in Psychological Bulletin, highlights the benefits of turning that frown upside-down. An optimistic outlook may cut heart disease and stroke danger by 50-percent. So laugh it up everyday.
Not getting enough fiber. Not only does a high-fiber diet boost your heart healthy, but it could add years to your life. That's according to the National Institutes of Health and American Association of Retired People.
Failing to Floss. You may be wondering what teeth health and your heart have to do with one another, but people with periodontal, or gum disease are nearly twice as likely to have heart disease.
While the reasons for the link aren't yet clear, one theory is that the same bacteria that trigger gum disease may also spark inflammation inside the body, damaging arteries.
So heres to eating healthier, flossing inbetween meals and taking walks after those meals.
