In 5 steps to a heart in top condition

A good friend is suddenly in the hospital after a heart attack. Whether the neighbor has a stroke had. Then you think: I don’t want that, I really have to start living healthier, quit smoking, do something about my overweight… You start enthusiastically, only to realize after a few weeks that your good intentions have been dashed one by one.

So how do we tackle bad habits? Medical psychologist Bart Thoolen: “I see that many people try to change their lifestyle through willpower. If it fails, they say: ‘I was not motivated enough’. But that is not necessarily the case. They probably had better have to think about it.”

The trick is to really incorporate changes into your life. If you want to achieve something, you must first make intentions concrete and achievable. That’s the first step. For example, you want to eat healthier, but how do you do that? By eating less fat and drinking less alcohol? Or by eating more fruit? Every day or only on weekends?”

Step 2, 3 and 4

The second step consists of determining the conditions and the obstacles. Thoolen: “The conditions are, for example: a well-filled fruit bowl within reach or new sports shoes if you want to start exercising. People forget to think ahead. They enthusiastically register at a gym, but it soon becomes apparent that times conflict with their agendas. After a week they give up, disappointed in themselves. ‘You see, sports are not for me.’ But if you had already thought in advance that the times were unfavorable, you could have found a solution.”

Beautiful plans often fail because of these kinds of details. So try to imagine what happens if you sign up at a gym or go on a trial run for a week. So see what such a change means for you in practice.”

“The third step also has to do with that. Close your eyes and try to imagine how it will go. Go through your entire plan in advance.” Do you know exactly what you want to do and what the conditions and obstacles are? Then you can implement your plan. Thoolen: “You are going to register at the gym, running shoes buy, etc. Then you can get started and you have taken the fourth step.”

Failure does not exist

And then comes the incredibly important fifth step: the evaluation. Determine in advance when you are satisfied. Positive consequences for your health, such as weight loss, need time. You do have a direct influence on your lifestyle. So in the evaluation, do not focus on the consequences for your health, but on your behaviour. It’s better to say: I want to exercise two days a week and keep it up. During the evaluation you can see whether you have persevered.

It all sounds like ‘doable’. But of course there are difficult moments. A cigarette is easily lit at a cozy party. And in a busy period, the visit to the gym will quickly disappear. Thoolen: “After a while, the motivation drops. You should not see that as failure. Try to discover why and how it went wrong. And what you can do differently next time. The high demands that people place on themselves often require too much a lot of willpower and then the risk of giving up prematurely is high. Then at some point you have had enough of your healthy intentions and you just want to enjoy yourself. It’s about setting achievable goals, which you can also be satisfied with.”

Tips

• Do not smoke. Smoking significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk of a heart attack is already less after one day of not smoking.
• Use alcohol in moderation. Drinking too much increases the blood pressure and high blood pressure is bad for the heart and blood vessels.
• Prevent obesity. Being overweight is bad for blood pressure cholesterol level and it increases the risk of diabetes. These are all risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
• Healthy food. That means: varied and not too much food, less saturated fat, less salt, lots of vegetables, fruit and bread.
• Avoid stress.
• Sufficient exercise, at least half an hour a day, is also good for the heart and vessels.