How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

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Regular physical activity can help keep your heart healthy. Read on to find out how to improve your cardiovascular fitness and reduce the risk of heart disease.

In today’s society, having a healthy heart is a struggle.  We’re surrounded by fast food restaurants; it’s easier to order your favorite noodles or have your pepperoni pizza delivered at home then to shop for ingredients and prepare a home-cooked meal.

At the same time, having an active lifestyle can feel like a burden if you have a busy daily schedule. However, not making an effort to keep your body healthy can affect your heart. If you don’t do something about it, it’ll be harder to combat heart diseases that can affect your life in the long run.

Before it’s too late, here are some tips to keep your heart healthy:

Quit Smoking

Let’s face it. You have to make certain sacrifices if you want to have a healthy body. When it comes to your heart condition, it is recommended to stop smoking for good. Did you know that you can lessen the risk of dying from a heart disease by half just by giving up smoking for a year?

Smoking increases your cholesterol levels and allows the blood to clot more often. If you have someone in the family who has a habit of smoking, it’ll be better to do something about it since breathing secondhand smoke can also be dangerous for your health.

Get More Sleep

Don’t let yourself be sleep deprived every single day. Not getting enough sleep causes heart inflammation and constricts arteries as well. Strive to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night to reduce the risk of heart disease in the long run. If you fail to do so, expect your body to release more stress hormones, causing you to feel sleepy in the afternoon.

Having the need to nap in the afternoon is a sign that you need to sleep more at night. Keep your phone away from you when it’s time for bed to avoid spending sleepless nights surfing the internet. Go the extra mile to let yourself have an adequate amount of sleep to let your body recuperate properly.

Walk

Though some may not be aware of it, walking is an effective exercise to combat heart disease and diabetes. Make time to walk for at least 20-30 minutes every day to improve your cardiovascular fitness.  Make an effort to get active on a regular, daily basis, no matter how busy your schedule is.

Once your body is able to handle it, you can walk longer than you usually do at an increased speed. This will keep your body challenged and it is a great exercise to make your heart stronger at the same time.

If you think you don’t have enough time to do so, simply walk home from work by getting off one train station or bus stop earlier. If this is not possible, take the stairs at work instead of the elevator. This should be a great exercise for you to be more active without having to sacrifice your schedule.

Drink More Water

Drinking water not only keeps you hydrated, but also keeps your blood from clotting. Make sure to drink at least 8 glasses a day to minimize the chances of you getting a fatal heart attack.

Change Your Diet

Diet is a huge factor when it comes to heart diseases. You may not undo all the foods you’ve eaten in the past but you can try to make smarter food choices from now on. Skip the usual salty bag of chips for a healthier snack. It takes a lot of control and discipline to have a balanced diet. Make sure to eat foods that are good for the heart like fish, vegetables, fruits and vegetables.

Be More Active

Engage in outdoor sports if you have the time to do so. You can also try walking your dog on a regular basis that will give you a chance to work out at the same time. Why not try hiking with your friends and get your adrenaline rolling? Don’t just sit inside your house during your free time; find ways how you can sweat it out to keep your body, heart and mind healthy.

Keeping your heart healthy is worth all the effort, no matter how hard it is to have a healthy lifestyle. After all, wouldn’t you want to live longer with the people you love with no fear of getting a heart attack anytime soon?

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