A “healthy lifestyle” can really take on a lot of different meanings depending on who you are talking to!

Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Stroke


A “healthy lifestyle” can really take on a lot of different meanings depending
on who you are talking to! It can sometimes seem overwhelming and hard to think
about getting started with being healthier, especially with the added pressure
of either healing from or trying to prevent a stroke. But I’m here to tell you
that you can get started today on making small changes that can have big,
lasting impacts on your health and wellbeing, and hopefully help you recover
from your stroke or prevent one in the future!

There are several key factors
[https://www.neofect.com/us/blog/knowledge-is-power] that you can take charge of
to improve your cardiovascular and brain health and healing. My advice to help
with getting over the short term hump and build the change into a more
successful longer term plan is to choose one thing you can get started with
today… then build from there. Set a manageable goal (that you can measure
somehow!) Check in with yourself, or ask someone to hold you accountable. Make
the change fun in some way, so you can look forward to it instead of dread it.
If you’re a visual person, make a calendar and mark off your success everyday.
Celebrate victories, and give yourself grace with days that are harder to stick
to the plan
[https://www.neofect.com/us/blog/importance-of-setting-up-post-stroke-routine].
We are all human and change is hard. Here are some ways to get healthy!

1) Eat better.


Try not to let this scare you! With all of the trends and fads, changing
guidelines, and amount of information out there, it may seem daunting. Instead
of thinking you need to do a total overhaul of your eating, pick something
doable. Some ideas to get started (again, pick one or two to start with):

-Buy foods with less sodium and don’t add extra salt to your food.
-Eat more fruits and veggies. Eat what you normally eat, but add a small helping
of a fruit or vegetable to each meal.
-Don’t eat as much sugar (I didn’t say to take it all away!) Switch out a bottle
of water for your soda. Have dessert every other day instead of every day.
-Try to cook/prepare more meals at home instead of eating out to avoid some of
the fried choices and added sugars.
-Choose foods that have the Heart-Check symbol (this means they are deemed
heart-healthy by the American Heart Association!)

2) Be more active.
Again, try not to let this seem too hard. Start by taking a short walk once a
day, and gradually add to your distance. Take a new fitness class. Try to get up
and move around more instead of remaining seated. Adding resistance (weights)
benefits your muscles (and your heart is a muscle!) but again, try something
small to start with so that you can be successful. Add on to the amount of time,
resistance, or distance gradually so you can increase your intensity for even
better care of your heart and brain.

3) Stop Smoking.
Easier said than done, I know! Work with your primary care doctor to figure out
a truly feasible strategy, and stick to it. Remember that you are trying to let
your brain heal (or that you are trying to avoid a stroke). Smoking increases
your risk of heart disease and stroke. You can do it!

4) Manage your blood pressure
[https://www.neofect.com/us/blog/why-maintaining-healthy-blood-pressure-important]
/cholesterol/blood sugar.

Set up an appointment with your primary care doctor today. Get all of your
important labs checked, and see what your doctor comes up with for a plan. If
this includes medications, make sure you understand how and when to take them,
how you will get your prescriptions, and how you will make sure to remember to
take them (that may mean using pill box organizers and putting your medications
in front of the coffee pot so you’ll see them each morning!) Some parts of the
strategy may be related to the above topics (eat better and be more active).
Collaborate with your doctor and advocate for yourself to figure out a plan that
you can stick to. Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar can all
impact your stroke and heart disease risk if they get too far out of the safe
range for too long.

5) Address your mental health.

Check in with yourself each week: are you getting enough sleep? If not, see
about making small changes such as putting your devices down at least 30 minutes
before bedtime, or setting up a more peaceful sleep environment (dark, quiet, no
TVs). Try to work on stress management, such as saying no or delegating tasks
when you have too much going on. Recovery (and prevention) are important, so
remember saying no is okay! Make sure to prioritize yourself and put self-care
high on your list. If you are seeing an occupational therapist, the OT can help
with sleep hygiene, suggesting calming strategies, and help you find a way to
make this more routine in your life.

And don't forget: you can do this!
Empower yourself and be your own best advocate. Make a plan that you can stick
to! This often means choosing one particular thing to start with, and sticking
with it until it becomes more routine for you. Usually this takes 2-3 weeks, so
don’t give up too quickly. This is your personal journey to better health, brain
healing, and prevention. Only you can decide how to best get yourself on board
with these key lifestyle changes so that you can stick to your healthier
lifestyle journey. You’ve got this!

References:
American Heart Association (heart.org)
American Stroke Association (stroke.org)

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not
intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or
treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health
provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you
think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
Reliance on any information provided by the NEOFECT website is solely at your
own risk.

Stroke Management

There is no way to determine for sure who will and who will not have a stroke. However, we do know that certain people are at greater risk than others.

Can you Control whether or not you have a Stroke? 

You may be wondering if you are likely to have a stroke in the future. Well,
there is no way to determine for sure who will and who will not have a stroke.
However, we do know that certain people are at greater risk than others. You may
also be wondering if you can control your stroke risk factors
[https://www.neofect.com/us/blog/knowledge-is-power/] by exercising or changing
your diet. The answer is complicated because there are many factors that
contribute into why one may have a stroke, some are controllable and some are
not.



6 Controllable factors
that can put you at a higher risk for stroke are: increased blood pressure,
diabetes, heart disease, smoking, drinking, and obesity. It is very important
for people that exhibit these conditions to maintain a healthy lifestyle by
exercising, eating healthy. Increased blood pressure is the leading cause of
myocardial infarction, angina, renal insufficiency, and stroke. 20-30% of the
total population presents with high blood pressure. High blood pressure can
increases the risk of stroke by 4 times the rate of a person with healthy blood
pressure.
Many people have high blood pressure but are unaware because they don't exhibit
any symptoms however, uncontrolled high blood pressure can gradually narrow
arteries and limit the blood flow. High blood pressure can eventually cause a
blockage or cause a ruptures which ultimately can cause a stroke.
Therefore it is very important to have regular check ups in order to maintain a
healthy blood pressure. Average healthy blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg.. Blood
pressure can be controlled by exercise, eating healthy and losing weight. By
maintaining a healthy blood pressure, you lower your chances of having a stroke.


3 Uncontrollable factors
that can increase your chance of having a stroke are: age, gender and family
history.

●Age: For every 10 years starting from the age of 5, your risk increases.
●Gender: Men are more likely to have a stroke than women
●Family history: A person who has the family history of stroke is more likely to
have a stroke than someone who has no family history.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean every stroke is hereditary. Ruptured
cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation, superabundant coagulation are
likely to be inherited and uncontrollable but very rare. A family with the same
daily habits is likely to have similar diseases, such as high blood pressure,
diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, which can cause a stroke but can be controlled.



Though it’s not possible to control all the risk factors of a stroke, we must
try to lower the risk of stroke by taking care of the controllable factors.
Please visit Neofect website [https://www.neofect.com/us/] for more information
about stroke prevention.

To learn more about Neofect smart rehab devices, call (888) 623-8984
[tel:+18886238984] or email info@neofect.com.