7 Habits That Will Keep Your Heart Healthy

 7 Habits That Will Keep Your Heart Healthy

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death around the world. More than 80 million people die from cardiovascular disease every year, according to the American Heart Association. 

That’s why it’s important to take measures to keep your heart healthy, through regular exercise and good eating habits, so you can live a long and happy life without the threat of heart failure hanging over your head. Here are seven habits that will keep your heart healthy!

1) Exercise Regularly

Exercise can do a lot more than make you look better. In fact, regular exercise helps prevent and treat heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

 

For most people, exercising about 30 minutes on five days of week is enough to reap these benefits. 

But even just 20 minutes of aerobic activity like walking on two or three days a week can help your heart health.

2) Stay Physically Active

The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day, or 20 minutes of vigorous activity. 

It might be running, swimming, biking or even just taking a brisk walk around your neighborhood. 

What’s important is that you pick an activity you enjoy and work toward it. The goal is to burn at least 150 calories a day.

if you don’t see progress after a few weeks, try increasing your time by five minutes each week until you start to see results or consider other weight-loss strategies such as reducing portion sizes or increasing fiber intake. 

In addition to cutting calories and boosting your heart health, regular exercise will help reduce anxiety and stress levels while also improving self-esteem and sleep quality.

3) Monitor Your Stress

Stress can cause all sorts of health problems, and high blood pressure is just one. 

The next time you feel yourself getting frustrated, try to switch gears by doing something that brings you joy. 

Listen to music, grab a cup of tea with a loved one or pet your dog. 

Anything that helps calm you down will help prevent dangerous spikes in blood pressure and reduce your risk for heart disease.

4) Eat Healthy Foods

Choosing heart-healthy foods is easier when you know how to read a food label. A simple trick: pick a heart-healthy alternative when you can. 

For example, choose whole wheat bread over white bread, grilled chicken instead of fried, and applesauce instead of sugar-packed jellies. 

Choosing foods with less saturated fat is another good way to keep your heart healthy—choose lean meats and low-fat dairy products instead of high-fat options like butter and bacon bits. 

In general, it’s better to opt for healthier cooking methods like baking or broiling than frying or grilling. 

Keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level will help protect your ticker too!

5) Get Enough Sleep

The human body was built to go days without sleep and even weeks with little more than catnaps here and there. 

In fact, going too long without sleep will cause your body to produce an enzyme that helps you stay awake. 

Unfortunately, missing out on just a few hours of shut-eye can have adverse effects on your heart health and overall well-being. 

How does sleep affect your heart? If you’re not getting enough Zzz’s, it can put stress on your cardiovascular system by increasing blood pressure and making it harder for your heart to pump blood through your body. 

Sleep deprivation has also been shown to accelerate atherosclerosis the formation of fatty plaques in arteries that can lead to heart disease or stroke as well as increase inflammation throughout your body.

6) Reduce Caffeine Intake

Caffeine, found in many beverages and drugs, is a stimulant that increases your heart rate and blood pressure. 

People who regularly consume caffeine are more likely to have high blood pressure, which greatly increases their risk of developing heart disease. 

If you're not limiting caffeine already, start doing so now. Avoid Energy Drinks: The FDA allows energy drinks to contain stimulants such as taurine and guarana even though they haven't been fully tested for safety. 

Even worse, they can lead to other dangerous habits like drinking more alcohol than normal or driving while impaired due to over-stimulation from too much caffeine or sugar.

7) Limit Alcohol Intake

We’ve all heard about how too much alcohol can damage your heart, but what you may not know is that even moderate drinking has been shown to slightly increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. 

Whether you drink or not, it’s important to understand how alcohol impacts your heart health and which kinds of beverages are most beneficial to your body. 

Learn more here!