How to Prevent a Second Heart Attack

Once you've had (and survived!) that first heart attack, this can serve as the wake-up call you need that will enable you to save your own life. You know for a fact, at this point, that if you do not make some important lifestyle changes, you are almost certain to have another heart attack, and you may not be so lucky the second time around. Now that you have all the evidence you need that this is indeed a matter of life or death, you should finally have the motivation to lead a healthier life. If you can manage to do so, you'll not only reduce the likelihood of your suffering another heart attack,, but you'll also benefit from looking and feeling much better than you did before you had the first one.

Things You'll Need

• Doctor's advice
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Beans
• Oily fish
• Aspirin

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Instructions

• 1

  Stop smoking. Seriously, smoking is one of the leading causes of heart disease. Get a nicotine patch, try hypnosis, do whatever it takes. Perhaps the realization that every cigarette you smoke puts you that much closer to heart attack No. 2 will help you to finally kick the habit.

• 2

  Get some exercise. Start out slowly, just try walking for 10-15 minutes a day if you've been pretty sedentary to date. Ask your doctor's advice if you intend to step up the pace and start running, bicycling, working out at a gym, or anything that might be strenouos. Although you want all of the health benefits that exercise brings, you don't want to choose any activity that might put a strain on your weakened heart.

• 3

  Eat your fruits and veggies. While not a week goes by that some new fruit or vegetable is being touted as a new superfood that can cure all ills, the truth is that all fruits and vegetables have their own particular benefits, so you should try to eat as wide a selection as possible.

• 4

  Remember the old ryhme, "beans, beans, they're good for your heart..." (okay, don't remember the whole rhyme, unless you want a good snicker like the one you had when you first heard it in third grade). The thing is, beans and legumes really are good for your heart, as they provide necessary folic acid as well as being a good source of the soluble fiber that helps to bind up cholesterol. So do "eat your beans at every meal".

• 5

  Add a few servings of oily fish such as trout, salmon or herring to your diet every week. These types of fish are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are well known for promoting cardiac health.

• 6

  Cut out (or at least cut down on) saturated and trans fats, both of which can lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels and raise your bad (LDL) ones. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1percent of your daily calories (so 20 calories for a 2000 calorie diet) come from trans fats, and no more than 7 percent (so 140 calories for that same 2000 calorie diet) from saturated fats.

• 7

  Take a daily dose of aspirin if your doctor recommends you do so. Daily use of aspirin has proven in numerous clinical trials to be very effective in preventing recurrence of heart attacks.