When it comes to keeping your heart healthy, most cardiologists make general recommendations; get regular exercise, eat a balanced diet, and don’t smoke. Here are helpful tips/secrets that still work the same.

Secret #1

Drink room-temperature water. You may not expect an MD who was trained in mainstream Western medicine to practice principles of the ancient Indian wellness philosophy of Ayurveda. But many of these lifestyle habits do carry important health benefits.
For example, according to Ayurvedic medicine, room-temperature water mixed with lemon or lime is good for digestive and cardiovascular health. Because the esophagus is located close to the heart, ice water can cause changes in the heart’s normal rhythm in some people.
If you don’t have time to prepare a glass of lemon water, always drink a big glass of room temperature water before getting out of bed. We all get dehydrated during the night. Drinking water pumps up the liquid volume of blood, which reduces the risk for blood clots. How much do you need? Divide your weight in half. That’s the number of ounces you should drink. A person who weighs, say, 150 pounds, should drink at least seventy-five ounces (about nine cups) of fluids, including water, every day.

Secret #2

Make time for prayer and reflection. There’s a strong link between stress and cardiovascular disease. One landmark study found that heart patients who experienced high levels of stress along with depression, which is often fueled by stress, were nearly 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack or die than those with more emotional balance.
Learn to like meditation and prayer. Your routine should include counting your blessings before getting out of bed in the morning and saying a few prayers. Also learn to appreciate the simple miracles of sunrises, hugs, and special friends and family. Other stress reducers include listening to music and taking long walks.

Secret #3

Do fast workouts. Exercise is crucial to keeping your heart strong, but it’s hard to fit this into a busy schedule sometimes. Exercise before breakfast and eat within thirty minutes after finishing your workout.
Your usual morning workout (six days a week) should include twenty minutes of cardio on a treadmill, recumbent bike, or rowing machine followed by about ten minutes of weight lifting. When you don’t have time for a half-hour session, you may do just twelve minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT). This typically includes a two-minute warm-up of fast walking on the treadmill, followed by eight minutes of intervals—running all-out for thirty seconds, followed by thirty seconds of walking. Follow this with a two-minute cooldown of slow walking. HIIT increases cardio-respiratory fitness, builds muscle, and reduces inflammation and insulin resistance (which promotes diabetes). HIIT is strenuous, so check with your doctor before trying it.

Secret #4

Have a healthy breakfast. Millions of people skip this important meal. That’s a problem, because skipping meals has been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and elevated cholesterol. Specifically, men who skipped breakfast were found to be 27 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who ate a healthy breakfast, according to a study in the journal Circulation. To save time, get your breakfast ready the night before. Fill a glass container with oatmeal and almond milk and let it soak in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, all the liquid is absorbed, and it’s soft and ready to eat. Stir it well and top with a few tablespoons of chopped dried figs, unsweetened coconut flakes, or sliced berries.
You can have a “super smoothie” with antioxidant-rich ingredients, such as kale, spinach, frozen blueberries, flax, etc., and organic soy or almond milk.

Secret #5:
Use heart-healthy supplements. Dietary supplements aren’t the best way to treat cardiovascular disease (although they can help in some cases). Supplements are better for preventing heart problems.

Check with your doctor before taking any of those listed here—they can interact with some medications.

•Magnesium glycinate, which is easily absorbed. People who get enough magnesium (millions of people are deficient) are less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who don’t get adequate amounts of the mineral.

•Vitamin D. The evidence isn’t yet definitive but suggests that vitamin D may improve heart health.

•Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). It is a vitamin-like substance that lowers blood pressure and can improve symptoms of heart failure.

Secret #6

Eat a plant-based diet. It’s been linked to a reduced risk for diabetes and certain types of cancer as well as heart disease.
Eat foods with a variety of colors, such as berries and peppers. A huge salad can be a meal! Enjoy a handful of raw nuts every day.

Secret #7

Get enough sleep. People who sleep at least seven hours a night are 43 percent less likely to have a fatal heart attack than those who get by on six hours or less.

You can get up at 6:00 a.m. and also plan a good night’s sleep. For example, stop drinking caffeinated beverages at least ten hours before bedtime and stop eating three hours before bed. Active digestion makes it harder to fall asleep and increases nighttime awakenings.
You can also have a sleep-promoting bulb in the reading lamp on your nightstand. Typical lightbulbs emit high levels of short-wavelength blue light, which suppresses the brain’s production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.