How To Keep Your Heart Healthy

You are probably familiar with the fact that you need your heart to stay alive, but maybe you’re not familiar with the harms you and your lifestyle are inflicting upon this vital organ. Are you the kind of a person who starts off the day with a large cup of coffee/tea, one or more cigarettes and a breakfast comprising mostly of fried foods? And your lunch is mostly heavy with carbs, followed by copious amounts of alcohol at night and a heavy dinner? If yes, the chances of you dying of a heart disease are as high as the skies. What is to be done here is to correct the unhealthy deviations in your life before it becomes too late. It does not make good sense to ignore what can be considered the looming occurrence of a heart attack. Take your step by reading on to gain familiarity with ways to keep your heart hale and hearty. However, don’t just stop at reading; make it a point to practice what you read!

 

You can never really have a healthy heart if you don’t exercise dietary discipline. A diet high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, and low on refined sugars and trans fats is what will help you get to a healthy heart and lowered cholesterol. Cutting out the obvious like deep-fried foods, steak dinners, pizzas, etc. is the only way for you to arrive at a healthy heart. As far what you should be eating goes, eating salmon, a fish that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, will help decrease your chances of death via a coronary artery disease. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables too. This will help keep your weight and blood pressure under control.

You probably knew this, but have never chosen to limit your intake of alcohol. Alcohol by itself is not bad, it’s only when people have a drink too many on a daily basis that alcohol tends to reveal its ugly side. Excessive consumption of alcohol can result in high blood pressure and at times even a heart failure. However, alcohol consumed in moderation can be effective in increasing good cholesterol.

 

Everyone’s life is prone to stress, only varying degrees of the same. This only means that as an individual you have got to muster the courage to learn how to keep ‘stress levels’ well below the limits of harm. People who stress about the silliest of things and even more about significant issues tend to smoke, drink, and overeat. This only leads to a vicious cycle, the end of which leads to a heart attack. The only way to get out of this vicious cycle is to stop stressing and take life as easy it’s supposed to be taken.

Has someone ever told you that sleep is bad for you? No? Well, that is because sleep is only good for you. It is the only way your body recovers from what could have been an extremely tiring day. Sleep as a basic function of life not only improves your ability to perform basic and complex tasks, but also increases heart health and even does wonders for your mood. Remember this, the more you sleep, the lesser the chances of dying from a heart disease. However, this does not mean you sleep throughout the day. It only means that you at any cost have to get your 8-9 hours of sleep.  

 

If you smoke a lot or don’t smoke much but smoke occasionally, this one’s for you. It’s a proven fact that smoking can result in a heart disease. The chances of you having to deal with a heart disease are directly proportionate to the number of cigarettes you smoke. So, remember the next time the urge to smoke kicks in, kill it by saying NO!

 

Last but not least, physical activity is what should be considered for a hale and healthy heart. Exercising regularly apart from building your strength and endurance also leads to a healthy heart and this is as good as a fact. Remember, it’s called cardio for a reason. Speaking about cardio, make it a point to indulge in activities that challenge your cardiovascular system. Ultimately, it is these challenges that will help you arrive at your ‘hearty’ goals.