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Our heart is more than just where we store our emotions and feelings. It actually has a bigger responsibility. The heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. This blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues which need it for survival. It also helps to remove carbon dioxide and other waste.
Having a healthy heart boils down to leading a healthy lifestyle. Since heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States, it’s important to know that you can make healthy choices to lower your risk of heart disease (1).
You just need to follow these important heart-healthy guidelines:
It’s also important to know your risk factors. Whether or not you have any should not stop you from leading a healthier life. But if you are at risk of heart disease, it is even more important to take steps today to improve your health.
You are at risk if you don’t follow any of the steps listed above. Not eating right, having high blood pressure or cholesterol can put you at risk. In addition, you are at risk if you have a family history of heart disease.
The good news is, even if you are at risk, you can do a lot to stay healthy. Again, start by following the heart-healthy guidelines.
So you are ready to start making some heart-healthy choices today to keep your heart strong. One of the first things to do is to have a healthy heart rate. Blood pressure refers to the pressure of blood in the artery walls as it pumps it around the body. This is a crucial part to how your heart and circulation system work.
Having high blood pressure, especially over a period of time, puts you at greater risk of heart disease. To keep blood pressure under control start by exercising more and cutting salt..
So let’s simplify and break it down into 10 actionable items you can do today to keep your heart healthy. Remember, take it one step at a time and each step, each day helps your heart.
We briefly just touched about how too much sodium in your diet can increase your blood pressure. Adults should have no more than 6 grams and children no more than 3 grams. It’s about 5 grams in a teaspoon so that should help you know your limit.
Eating a lot of sugar could increase your weight, which then can lead to high blood pressure and/or cholesterol. Excess sugar also increases diabetes risk.
Too much saturated fat can lead to high cholesterol. So make sure to cut back on butter, fatty meats, even processed foods and pastries. Also make sure to steam or grill meat instead of fry it.
Packed full of vitamins and nutrients as well, fruits and vegetables should be a part of every meal and can be eaten for snacks. Some fruits and vegetables can also help cholesterol since they are high in soluble fiber like sweet potatoes and citrus fruits.
Oily fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are very beneficial for the heart since they help lower cholesterol. For vegetarians, spinach, canola oil and flaxseed are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Smoking is a leading cause of heart disease.It not only damages the lining of the arteries, it can also lower the amount of oxygen in your blood and raise blood pressure.
Alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause abnormal heart rhythms and even damage the heart muscle. It doesn’t have to be given up entirely. Just make sure you stick to the recommended guidelines.
Make it a goal to get 150 minutes of exercise each week. This will lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. People who don’t lead very active lives are more likely to have a heart attack. The heart is a muscular organ and it needs to be exercised.
Being overweight increases your risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as type 2 diabetes.
Being stressed can lead to doing things that are bad for the heart like smoking, drinking and not eating right. This is why it’s important to keep stress under control by taking time for yourself and participating in activities that relax you.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is the best way for your heart to be healthy and strong naturally. Eating healthy foods and exercising are two crucial steps you can take. Healthy foods fill your body with important vitamins and minerals. Eating low-nutritious or high fat foods leads to health issues.
And your heart needs exercise. It is a muscular organ and like all muscles, it needs exercise to strengthen it. Anything you enjoy that can get the heart pumping is important. So whether you like to participate in sports, dance or even just go for a walk, anything you do to get moving can benefit your heart.
Eating a heart-healthy diet isn’t as hard as people make it. We’ve just grown so accustomed to eating a certain way, that sometimes it’s all about mindset. Once you start eating healthier foods, you may realize how much you actually enjoy it!
First, start by knowing how many calories you should be eating. It’s important not to overeat as that can lead to excess calories, which leads to weight gain. Most nutrition information on labels are based off of a 2,000 calorie diet. But you may need more or less depending on your lifestyle.
Then, make sure you are eating a variety of nutritious foods from all of the food groups. This helps ensure you are getting all of the nutrients you need. Avoid processed and packaged foods, which can help stop hunger, but may not be all that nutritious.
Having a healthy heart can benefit all areas of your body since it’s role is to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. If your heart isn’t strong and healthy, other areas of the body may suffer.
Exercise is a powerful way to strengthen the heart. A combination of aerobic exercise like running, walking or swimming in combination with resistance training like lifting weights is considered the best routine for heart health (2).
Doctors have several ways they can test how healthy your heart is. Let’s look at these heart healthy facts:
This is checked by your pulse with each pulse matching up with a heartbeat. This helps doctors judge the strength of blood flow and blood pressure in your body.
This is the force of blood against your artery walls. There are two numbers doctor’s use:
Doctors can run a number of tests to check your levels of sodium, potassium, albumin and creatinine. Blood tests also check cholesterol levels and can check other diseases that can affect the heart like anemia or thyroid. Abnormal levels can detect issues with organs.
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