5 Things You Can Do to Prevent a Stroke

While it’s true that people who have certain habits and who come from families that have had members suffer from heart attacks are more likely to suffer a stroke themselves, you can’t go on thinking that you can’t fall victim to it if you have had no family member suffer from this, or if you consider yourself to be too young to have one yet.
If you are one of the many people who are concerned about their health and you want to lead a long and healthy life, you should read the following lines to find out what are the 5 things you can do to prevent a stroke.

1. Lose weight

Obesity raises the odds of having a stroke considerably, and it leads to many health complications such as diabetes and high pressure, complications that are linked to strokes as well.
To make sure that you are in the safe zone when it comes to your weight, try to keep your body mass index at 25 or less, making yourself less likely to have a stroke by maintaining an ideal weight.

2. Healthy diet

A healthy diet is your best ally in the fight against the much feared stroke, but unfortunately due to the high-paced world that we live in, most people find it easier to eat whatever they can cook up faster, or to eat fast food meals that are filled with cholesterol and saturated fats.
A healthy diet that keeps strokes away must include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, eliminating from your diet completely the excess sodium intake and cholesterol.

3. Drink moderately

Ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage are linked to alcohol consumption, the excessive consume of alcohol raising the blood pressure, this way increasing stroke risk.
If you are the type of person who indulges in more alcohol than you should, and on a daily basis, get rid of this bad habit, but rather consume alcohol rarely, preferably only on special occasions, and when you do, drink moderately to not fall victim to having a stroke.

4. Exercise

Aside from helping you lose weight and lowering your blood pressure, exercising on a daily basis stands out on its own as a stroke reducer.
Take just 30 minutes from your daily routine and dedicate them to exercising how you like, no matter if you take a walk, go for a jog, run on the treadmill, or run up and down the stairs, and you will see major improvements to your overall look and to your health as well.

5. Quit smoking

Smoking is an extremely bad habit for mostly all of your organs, including your brain, and due to the high damage to the cardiovascular system caused by the carbon monoxide and nicotine found in cigarettes, you increase your chances of having a stroke considerably as well.
Studies have shown that if you quit smoking, in only two years you decrease the chances of having a stroke considerably, and after only five years you reach the same level as nonsmokers.