Even if your daily routine changes frequently, finding just a few minutes a day to prioritize healthful activities can make all the difference to your heart health. To optimally support this vital organ from the comfort of your home, cardiologist Dr. Shawn Howell recommends you… take this list to heart and partake in the following five things every day.  

1. Get moving!

Breaking up the day with movement is always important, but it’s even more crucial now that many of us are staying home and are less active than we once were. It’s all too easy to sit at a desk or on a couch without much motion.

Dr. Howell recommends getting moving with moderate exercise like a brisk walk. About 150 minutes weekly divided across your days will do the trick. For more rigorous movement like aerobics or strength training, average about 75 minutes weekly. If outdoors or the gym aren’t an option, look into at home workouts offered online and consider gathering your friends for a virtual workout session to keep you accountable.

2. Add resistance to your movement

Doing a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training like weight lifting has been linked to lowering cholesterol. Start with lighter weights until you get more comfortable with the movement. Cap your workouts to 45 minutes a day, resting in between sets and allowing your body a day or two of rest in between workouts.

3. Find heart healthy options to incorporate into your diet

According to a Harvard Health study, diet can substantially reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Look to incorporate heart healthy options like vegetables, fruits, lean meats and fish into your meals. Stay away from foods that are processed and high in trans-saturated fats which can elevate your blood pressure. Instead, go for foods with more whole grains like Cheerios, which has soluble fibers shown to help lower cholesterol. Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods, like Honey Nut Cheerios™ cereal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Honey Nut Cheerios cereal provides .75 grams per serving.

4. Relieve stress in a healthy way

Managing stress is a great idea for your health overall. Spend some time doing laid-back, stress-relieving activities like meditating, gardening, stretching, creative writing, or even just chatting on the phone with a friend.

5. Catch Zzz’s 

Our hearts and bodies need rest. Dr. Howell recommends at least 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. A lack of exercise, poor diet, and inadequate stress management might make sleeping more difficult. So, it’s doubly important to participate in a great balance of heart-healthy activities every day so you can rest easy. Your heart will thank you.

Be good to your heart! Support its health every day with a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.