Do you know the heart is the muscle that circulates blood through your entire body? There is no organ in your body more important than your heart. It’s one of the reasons why heart transplants are such a big deal and can be life-saving for some people who have heart failure. It’s important to be aware of your heart health because heart disease is the number one killer worldwide, much more so than accidents or stroke. This doesn’t have to be the case, so why not find out more about heart health? That way you can keep your heart healthy and avoid any major problems down the road. Here are some great heart health tips that may help you keep your heart healthy and happy for years to come.
See A Doctor Regularly
Make sure you go see a doctor at least once a year if not more often to check up on any potential heart problems before they become major issues in your life. It is important for those who have had a heart transplant for proper monitoring. Once infections, viruses, other illnesses, and diseases affect your cardiovascular system it becomes far more complicated to treat, so get heart check-ups regularly even if you feel fine.
Sometimes certain prescription drugs that people take daily can cause side effects that impact heart health more than we realize. That’s why it’s important to talk with your physician about heart health and any current prescription medications you take. If there’s anything that could affect heart health, they should be aware of it so they can better treat heart disease and your overall heart health together.
Get Plenty Of Heart Healthy Exercise
To improve your heart health, you should try to get as much heart-healthy exercise as possible each day to further lower your cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol in your body so your cardiovascular system can be strong. You don’t have to do a lot, just 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week will give you great heart benefits that last throughout the week. Good heart-healthy exercises include cardio workouts like jogging, walking quickly, cycling, swimming laps, playing active sports like tennis or basketball, and many other activities that make your heart beat faster for an extended period.
Enjoying hobbies that are fun are good for heart health since they reduce anxiety which will then decrease blood pressure levels further reducing heart attack risks. Hobbies such as gardening can also help keep your heart healthy through their cardiovascular benefits without any negative effects on your heart’s health while decreasing oxidative stress which causes damage to cells and heart health.
Do Not Smoke Or Drink Too Much Alcohol
These are both terrible heart habits that can hurt the heart. Excessive intake of alcoholic drinks increases triglyceride levels thereby increasing the risk of heart disease while decreasing good cholesterol levels. Smoking cigarettes or cigars also isn’t good for heart health because every time you smoke, the heart has to work harder to keep pumping blood throughout your body while getting rid of all the toxins associated with smoking cigarettes.
The chemicals found in cigarettes and cigars cause heart disease by increasing heart attack risks while lowering heart health through the damage done to heart cells. Smoking also decreases heart function which can make you feel less energetic and sickly.
Cut Down On Red Meat And Control Your Cholesterol Levels
Red meats like steak and burgers come with heart problems because they’re high in saturated fat, which is terrible for heart health. But don’t worry there are plenty of heart-healthy alternatives that will still give you the nutrients you need without all the bad cholesterol. Some good heart-healthy foods include lean cuts of chicken or turkey, milk, eggs, tuna, and more. Try to avoid simple sugars as much as possible too since they can affect your heart negatively just like eating fat does.
You should try to get your LDL cholesterol levels below 70 mg/dL and have an HDL level that’s over 40 mg/dL. This will help reduce heart attack risks significantly while also helping keep heart disease at bay. Make sure you take medications if necessary to normalize your cholesterol so it doesn’t get out of hand. Even heart-healthy foods that are low in fat can help bring your cholesterol levels down as well as reduce heart disease risks.
Stay Positive And Reduce Stress
One thing that keeps heart health at bay is stress and worrying about things like your heart health all the time. If you find yourself stressed out often or thinking too much about heart issues, try to keep calm and stay in a good mood more of the time because studies have shown that positive people are far healthier than negative ones. This is especially important if you come from a heart patient’s family because heart disease is often genetic.
Stress can have a negative heart side effect so it’s important to avoid stress as much as you can. The heart pumps more blood when stressed, increasing heart attack risks since the heart isn’t resting properly. Try to relax with hobbies that are fun and heart-healthy while enjoying activities that inspire you too.
Eat Heart-Healthy Foods
The heart is a vital organ in the body that requires nutrients to function properly. The food you eat can either harm or heal your heart. To keep your heart healthy, it is important to consume healthy foods regularly. Eating these foods will help protect and maintain their strength and power, and consequently prevent heart problems from occurring in the future. Fruits and vegetables are very rich in antioxidants that cleanse the body of harmful toxins. They also provide minerals, vitamins, fiber, and water needed by our bodies to work at their maximum potential. The recommended servings for fruits and vegetables are at least 5 servings per day.
Oatmeal has a low glycemic index which regulates blood sugar levels and prevents heart disease by improving heart health through its antioxidant content reducing bad cholesterol levels while increasing good cholesterol levels. Oatmeal contains heart-healthy soluble fiber that prevents heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels in the heart.
Get Plenty Of Liquid
Water is essential for heart health because our heart needs an adequate supply of water to pump enough blood throughout our bodies. While it is important that you drink plenty of water every day, there are other fluids that you should look into consuming as well. Coffee contains caffeine which can help increase heart rate thereby improving heart health by making the heart healthier through its cardiovascular benefits without any negative effects on your heart’s health.
Green tea helps improve heart health by protecting against damage by LDL cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol levels. Berries help heart health by reducing heart disease and heart attacks with their antioxidants which prevent heart disease including heart attack, stroke, and damage to cardiac blood vessels.
Heart health is very important and should be a priority for everyone.
You might think that heart disease only affects older people who have lived a life of bad habits and vices which ultimately lead to heart failure, but this isn’t true. Heart disease can affect anyone at any age so it’s important to do what you can now to improve heart health even if you don’t think there’s anything wrong with your heart or if you feel completely fine right now. These small steps could mean everything when it comes to heart health so follow these tips to keep your heart happy.
