Your heart is vital! Your heart works hard and beats roughly once a second for your entire life. That’s about 2.5 billion beats over the average lifespan. The blood the beating heart circulates carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
Cardiovascular disease has been the chief cause of death in the United States for many years. Fortunately, it is largely preventable with simple lifestyle changes.
Consider these activities to enhance your heart health and extend your lifespan:
Exercise. Like the other muscles in your body, your heart needs regular exercise to be most healthy. The current prescription from the medical community is 30 minutes of aero exercise five times a week. Everyone should find a way to plan some activity in their life. For example:
- Walk on a treadmill while watching TV.
- Exercise with a friend.
- Listen to a book on earbuds while you go for a run.
- Play a team sport.
- Hire a personal trainer.
Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Your heart works more intensely if you’re overweight. There’s only so much work it can do before it gives up. Find a healthy weight for your body and maintain it. Your heart will thank you.
Avoid smoking. Smoking is dangerous, but you already know that. Among other things, smoking damages your blood vessels and your blood cells. Smokers are at a greater risk of suffering a heart attack.
Manage stress. Stress kills. Though the mechanism isn’t understood, there is a strong connection between the effects of pressure and heart disease. If you feel tense regularly, finding ways of dealing with that stress is essential. Please make a list of activities that relax you and start doing them.
Get the proper amount of sleep. Multiple studies have shown that too much or too little sleep can inflate the risk of developing heart disease. The appropriate amount of adult sleep appears to be between seven and nine hours. More or less than this can impact your heart and overall health negatively.
Maintain proper blood pressure. When your blood pressure is too high, it can dilate the lining of your blood vessels, creating scar tissue and attracting cholesterol and fat deposits. High blood pressure is dangerous, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It is the silent killer.
Eat properly. A good diet can avoid many issues leading to heart disease. Avoid saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt. Eat the things that you already know are good for you. A healthy diet doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of the best heart-healthy foods include:
- Berries
- Whole grains
- Fish oil
- Nuts
- Beans
- Leafy greens
- Dark chocolate
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Seeds
Cardiovascular disease is the chief cause of death in the United States. Approximately 25% of the population ultimately succumbs to heart disease.
The rates are much lower in those countries with healthier eating and exercise habits. However, you don’t need to pack your bags and move to Japan to lower your risk of heart disease. You only need to adopt healthy behaviors and drop any behaviors that don’t help you to thrive.
A healthy diet, good sleep, and exercise can prevent many negative health issues. These are the things you already know how to do. Start doing them religiously and strengthen your health. You’ll be glad you did!
