Improve Your Heart Health

Your heart health is vital to your overall health. Many of us take our hearts for granted, but it is important to consider everything that your heart does for you daily for your whole life. Not only should you be thankful for your heart, you should also take care of it. There are many changes you can make in your daily habits and lifestyle that can help you improve your heart health and decrease your chances of developing heart disease.

Beneficial Lifestyle Choices for a Healthy Heart

• Get active
  • Regular physical activity can benefit your heart and overall health in many ways. Getting out daily and partaking in moderate physical activity can help you feel better, lose weight and protect your heart’s health. If you sit for long periods throughout the day, get up and move to break up your sitting time. There are many different physical activities that you can partake in including brisk walking, running, working out, playing sports, biking and more. Give yourself fitness goals every week so that you can be accountable with yourself and monitor your progress.
• Attain and keep a healthy weight
  • Being a healthy weight can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and other health issues including high blood pressure and cholesterol. Eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly can help you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. If you are struggling with your weight speak to your doctor about healthy ways to lose weight and keep it off.
• Eat healthy
  • A healthy diet will not only improve your heart health, it will improve your overall health. Eating a balanced diet can help you to lose weight or maintain weight loss and prevent heart disease. A nutritious diet includes plenty of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, healthy protein sources (fish, seeds, chicken) and healthy fats (avocados, olives, seeds). Replacing processed high fat and high sugar foods with healthy choices can help to keep your heart healthy. Reducing your salt and sugar intake can also benefit your heart. You should also practice portion control so that you will not overeat which can lead to weight gain. You should also drink lots of water throughout the day and avoid juices and sodas that are loaded with sugar.
• Limit alcohol consumption
  • Alcohol can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and heart disease. If you drink, do so in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is one drink for a woman and two drinks for a man daily.
• Be smoke-free
  • Smoking can increase your risk of developing heart disease, cancers and stroke. Smokers almost double their odds of suffering a heart attack. Quitting smoking is one of the most positive things you can do for your heart. It is never too late to stop smoking for good.
• Manage stress
  • Managing your stress through positive methods such as deep breathing, meditation and counseling can help you to lower your blood pressure and risk of developing heart disease.
• Look after your health
  • Visit your doctor for regular examinations so that you can take an active role in your overall health. If you are having any health issues, see your doctor to get them checked out. You should have a heart health check if you are over age 45 (or younger if you have a family or personal history of heart disease).

Don’t think that it is too late to make positive lifestyle changes that can benefit your heart and overall health. Start today and lower your risk of developing heart disease- your heart will thank you for it!

Regular Pulse/Heart Rate

The normal pulse/heart rate for a person depends on many factors. Most people find that their resting heart rate lands somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute. This tends to be lower for people in really great shape. The theory behind it all is that people in better shape don’t make their heart work as hard, so it doesn’t need to pump as often.