Heart health is important for everyone, regardless of their age, since heart problems can affect people of any age. Heart problems that occur in young people and children are often congenital (inherited) disorders, such as arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), cardiomyopathy (disease affecting the ability of the heart to pump blood), or heart valve defects. However, anyone at any age could have a stroke or develop high blood pressure.
We listed 6 ways to improve your heart health:
1. Make a few dietary changes.
Eat better. It’s important to improve your diet, so you should reduce the amount of salt and fat in your diet. A lot of people eat more red meat than necessary and less fish than they should, so try switching them around. White bread and pasta are not as healthy as whole grains, so make sure you’re eating plenty of them. Additionally, nuts and seeds are great for heart health—as are legumes, lentils, and beans.
2. Start exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It helps control your weight, lower the risk of heart disease, and strengthen your bones and muscles.
It may seem like a challenge to find time in your busy schedule to exercise, but you don’t need to be an athlete or spend hours at the gym to stay healthy. If you don’t have enough time for 30 minutes of exercise all at once, break it up into chunks (10 minutes three times a day). Just make sure that over the course of a week, you’re exercising 30 minutes five times to reap these benefits:
• Lowering blood pressure
• Reducing bad cholesterol levels
• Raising good cholesterol levels
• Keeping weight under control
• Improving blood flow
You know that including physical activity in your daily routine is beneficial for your heart health. But what kind of exercises should you try? The great news is that there’s no lack of choices out there! You can choose from walking, jogging, or running; swimming or water aerobics; biking; weight training; yoga or pilates—to name just a few options! No matter what type of exercise you enjoy doing, it’s important that you stick with it and make fitness a regular habit.
3. Don’t smoke or quit smoking.
One of the most important things you can do to help your heart is to avoid using or stop using tobacco.
Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease. The longer you smoke and the more cigarettes you smoke each day, the greater your risk for developing coronary heart disease. If you are a current smoker, quitting is one of the best choices you can make for your heart. This can be challenging, but it’s possible with help from your doctor and support from friends and family.
The sooner you quit, the better. Benefits begin immediately after stopping smoking, and they improve over time as your body heals itself from damage caused by smoking.
4. Limit alcohol use.
You can improve your heart health by limiting or avoiding alcohol. Drinking alcohol raises blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which puts you at risk of developing heart disease. Heavy drinking also causes damage to the heart muscle.
Reduce your risk of heart disease by limiting the amount of alcohol you drink on a given day for men (no more than two drinks) and one drink per day for women. Limit your intake if you are taking medications, are pregnant, or have a history of alcoholism as well.
Sticking to this limit is difficult when you’re out celebrating with friends or enjoying dinner with coworkers, but it’s important that you do so nonetheless. If you find yourself unable to stop after one drink, there are methods to help curb your alcohol consumption:
• Alternate alcoholic beverages with water
• Eat while consuming alcohol
• Keep track of how much you’re drinking
5. Visit your doctor regularly to check your cholesterol and blood pressure.
The best way to find out how healthy your heart is, and if your lifestyle habits are having the desired effects, is to get a checkup with your doctor. This can be done at any time, but it’s recommended that you schedule regular checkups at least once a year or twice a year if you have existing health conditions.
Doctor visits will typically involve taking measurements of your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Normal blood pressure ranges from 90-120 in systolic readings (the top number) and 60-80 diastolic readings (the bottom number). Cholesterol levels should ideally be under 200 mg/dL total cholesterol with an LDL level under 100 mg/dL and an HDL level above 60 mg/dL. Your doctor will also take a reading of your blood sugar level as too much sugar can cause inflammation and damage to the inside walls of your arteries. A normal reading here will fall between 70-100 mg/dL when you’re not eating anything, but this can go up after eating up to 140 mg/dL within two hours of eating.
6. Get enough sleep every night.
When your body is in fight or flight mode, it can cause you to feel sleepy when you’re exhausted. Therefore, it’s important to get enough sleep every night. The simple refrain: 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night is the best way to improve your heart health and stay alert during the day! One way that people often lose sleep is from poor sleep hygiene: tossing and turning, not getting enough restorative sleep on their side of the bed, etc. Sleep hygiene does absolutely nothing for your overall health—but it can have a big impact on how much restorative activity you get during the day. Achieving this crucial level of productivity can be difficult, but there are many simple ways that you can stay alert and productive while still getting a good night’s sleep (e.g., adjusting lighting and noise levels in your bedroom).