Northwestern Memorial Hospital Logo

Home > Cardiovascular Institute > Vascular Disease

Risk Reduction for Heart & Vascular Disease

Lack of Exercise
Lack of regular exercise (sedentary lifestyle) increases your risk for heart and vascular disease. If you do not exercise, talk with your health care provider. Regular aerobic exercise on most days of the week makes your heart and body stronger. It also helps reduce other risk factors such as:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Excess weight
• Stress

Exercise can be fun! If you have heart disease, ask your doctor about a cardiac rehabilitation program. This can help you become heart healthy through safe exercise and risk factor control.

Risk factors that can be modified include:

• High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart and vascular disease
• The American Heart Association has identified tobacco use to be the single most important risk factor for heart and vascular disease.
• High blood pressure raises your risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
• Lack of regular exercise (sedentary lifestyle) increases your risk for heart and vascular disease
• Heart and vascular disease occurs at an earlier age and progresses faster in persons with diabetes.
• Excess Weight can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels.
• Depression increases the likelihood that cardiovascular disease will develop and it predicts poorer recovery following a cardiac or vascular event. Depression also makes it more difficult to stop smoking and to engage in a healthy lifestyle.
• Stress can lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure and overeating.

Review Date: 01/07