Improve Your Heart Health with 3 Easy Steps

The heart is one of the most vital organs in our body, so you need it to work well. Healthy habits can significantly improve your heart health and help you to live a healthier, longer life.

Making a lifestyle change for the better will simply boost your health. Once you get rid of your bad habits and substitute them with good ones, you will immediately feel a change in your life. You will feel a lot more energetic, healthy, it will boost your immune system, and your overall fitness level. One of the biggest benefits of living a healthy lifestyle is the strengthening of our internal vital organs including our heart.

A Heart Healthy Lifestyle

A heart healthy lifestyle, proper diet and exercise could help you improve your heart health, and it may even prevent heart diseases. Below are a few healthy habits that would improve your heart health.

1. Try Heart Healthy Diet DASH or TLC

Any doctor or dietitian would give you advice on heart healthy diet. A healthy diet would mean DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) or TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) which focuses on lowering your blood pressure and blood cholesterol level. Try the eating tips below.

Eat More

fruits
vegetables
whole-grain foods
poultry
fish
Low-fat dairy products

Eat Less

Fat
Cholesterol
Red meat
Sugar, sugary beverages, sweets
Junk food

Another cornerstone is cutting back on salt. Lowering the amount of salt you eat can help lower the amount of fluid your body holds onto. This lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to do its work. – WebMD

Read labels on food. Look for “low sodium” or “salt,” avoid canned, processed, flavored or instant foods. They usually have high amount of salt in them. Rinse off any canned seafood. Try cooking plain rice, pasta or grains, with plenty of healthy herbs and vegetables.

2. Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle – Get Rid of Bad Habits

Regardless of your age, you could easily benefit from giving up your bad habits. To get rid of your bad habits, don’t go cold turkey but reduce them slowly. Follow the tips below.

Don’t smoke

Smoking or using any tobacco products can significantly increase the risk of a heart disease. “Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can ultimately lead to a heart attack.” – Mayo Clinic

Exchange the TV habit for exercise

Don’t waste your time lazily watching too much TV. It could weaken your heart condition. Instead, step on your treadmill or step outside and find an exercise buddy.

Early to bed early to rise

Going to bed before midnight and waking up early has been found beneficial for heart health through numerous researches. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, can harm your health.

Ditch the junk food

Instead of fast food or sugary foods, try some fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables and nuts as snacks. Seafood is excellent for boosting heart health.

Be a social drinker

Moderate drinking can benefit your heart by lowering your blood pressure and increasing the levels of HDL good cholesterol in your blood. But be sure to limit your alcohol consumption to two drinks per day.

De-stress your heart

Unplug yourself from your electronic devices, smart phones and emails for at least an hour a day, to reduce stress. Stress raises blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of stress hormone cholesterol.

3. Walk Away From Heart Diseases

Becoming active is the best way to improve your heart conditions. Regular exercises would reduce stress, get you in shape, keep your weight and blood pressure under control and helps to strengthen your heart muscles. Even a 30 minute walk around the block would help. Get involved in any physical activity that increases your heart rate.

Check with your doctor to see which activities are safe for you, before you start. Then choose activities that are safe and fun for you. Work them into your daily routine.

A healthy lifestyle is the key to boosting your heart health. If you want to live a longer healthier life, there is no substitute to eating healthy, getting plenty of exercise and going to bed early. You should also avoid bad habits that may harm your heart health.

If you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, it can damage your heart and blood vessels. Check with your doctor regularly. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

For more information on your physical health please contact us at 303-495-3705 or click here to book a meeting with us.

We’d love to hear from you, so please add your comment on this article in the comment box below or visit our Facebook page and add your comments there. We’d really appreciate it.

Source: Balanced Life Team