The biggest lifestyle change that can impact atherosclerosis is quitting smoking[1]. Getting aerobic exercise is also extremely important. To reduce atherosclerotic risk, people should ideally perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a combination of the two each week.[2] A rule of thumb to measure intensity is the talk test: moderate aerobic activity makes it hard to sing but not to talk, whereas it’s hard to say more than a few words at a time during vigorous aerobic exercise.
References
- ^Gaemperli O, Liga R, Bhamra-Ariza P, Rimoldi ONicotine addiction and coronary artery disease: impact of cessation interventions.Curr Pharm Des.(2010)
- ^Donna K Arnett, Roger S Blumenthal, Michelle A Albert, Andrew B Buroker, Zachary D Goldberger, Ellen J Hahn, Cheryl Dennison Himmelfarb, Amit Khera, Donald Lloyd-Jones, J William McEvoy, Erin D Michos, Michael D Miedema, Daniel Muñoz, Sidney C Smith Jr, Salim S Virani, Kim A Williams Sr, Joseph Yeboah, Boback Ziaeian2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice GuidelinesCirculation.(2019 Sep 10)