n your 20s and 30s, heart disease can seem like a far-off concern. It’s among people 75 or older than in any other age group. But there’s good reason to think about your heart health decades earlier: “While young adults often associate heart disease with people in their parents’ and grandparents’ ages, it’s never too early to start prevention,” says Dr.
Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist, author, and clinical associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “In fact, .” If there’s just one thing you do for your heart when you’re young, it should be increasing your physical activity, experts agree.
“Exercise is the foundation of heart-disease prevention, and combining aerobic exercise with resistance training has been shown to have the greatest impact on preventing and managing heart disease,” Goldberg says. That’s because physical activity taxes your heart and lungs, helping them to adapt to the stress and grow stronger over time. Getting regular exercise is also a step in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) , a list of eight crucial health behaviors for maintaining optimal cardiovascular health.
Aside from staying active, the list also includes eating a nutritious diet; managing your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar; maintaining a healthy weight; quitting tobacco; and getting plenty of sleep. Starting with physical activity will likely trickle down to these other arenas, says Dr. Keith Churchwell, president of the AHA.
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