A healthy heart beats at the right time, doesn’t get tired easily, and allows a person to do an amazing amount of work at once. In a nutshell, anyone who has a healthy heart can do a lot of things in life. While many people want to live life with a healthy heart, only a few actually know how to achieve this goal.
In order to maintain a healthy heart, you need to make certain changes to your daily routine. Depending on the lifestyle you have right now, these changes can either be minimal or drastic. Often, the unhealthier your lifestyle is, the more drastic the changes you’ll have to make to your lifestyle.
To help you get started, follow these tips for you to live with a healthy heart:
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See A Specialist Regularly
One of the biggest mistakes people often make when it comes to taking care of their heart is to only set an appointment with a specialist the moment that they feel any pain and discomfort in their chests. Having this kind of habit won’t guarantee the best results because, by the time that you’re experiencing symptoms, your heart might already develop certain illnesses and diseases.
If you want to have a healthy heart, regularly see top cardiologists in Orlando, Florida or from your area. The heart affects different organs and systems in the body, which is why you should have all of these regularly checked as these can help assess the overall condition of your heart.
As set by the American Heart Association, you should be able to schedule the following heart screening to determine the status of your heart health:
- Blood pressure: Your blood pressure should be monitored every two years once you reach 20.
- Cholesterol: You’re expected to undergo a fasting lipoprotein profile every four to six years when you reach 20.
- Blood glucose: Blood glucose screenings should be done at least every three years when you reach 45.
Exercise Regularly
To have a healthy heart, one of the most important tips that you should follow is to make sure that you regularly exercise. Regardless of what your daily routine is, you should always find the time to sweat during the day. You can start by walking or running around your neighborhood, follow some instructional workout videos at home, or sign up for a gym membership.
Exercising regularly is beneficial for the heart because it improves blood circulation and will strengthen your heart. Aside from these, doing exercises with moderate intensity for more than 150 minutes every week is also a great way to increase the oxygen levels of the body, lowering your risks of heart attack, coronary artery disease, and other types of heart diseases.
However, if you’re not used to working out, make sure that you start slow and then gradually increase the intensity and speed of your workouts, make sure you go to a gym that bought a defibrillator.
Increase Your Omega 3 Intake
If you want to keep your heart healthy, it’s not enough that you incorporate exercise into your daily routine. You should also pay attention to the foods you eat regularly as this can significantly affect the function and longevity of your cardiovascular system.
A diet that includes large amounts of walnuts, walnut oil, salmon, flax oil, and other foods rich in omega 3 coats your body with the essential nutrients that’ll ensure your heart functions properly. Moreover, eating a diet high in omega 3s is very beneficial as this helps prevent many heart diseases, including stroke and heart attack.
Aside from adding foods that are packed with omega 3 to your diet, you can also increase your intake of these nutrients by taking omega 3 supplements. These products contain high levels of omega 3, along with other heart-friendly vitamins and minerals, making it easy for you to maintain the overall condition of your heart even as you age.
Slash Saturated Fats From Your Diet
The arteries found in your cardiovascular system play a vital role in the function of your heart and your overall health. Arteries work by carrying oxygenated blood from the heart and into the tissues. Hence, your heart won’t be able to function properly with blocked or damaged arteries.
If you want to take care of your arteries and cardiovascular system, slashing saturated fats from your diet is essential. Having too much saturated fats in the body may cause cholesterol to build up in the arteries and decrease the heart’s ability to pump and flow blood. Reduced blood flow in the body can eventually cause shortness of breath, chest pain, and even coronary artery diseases.
If you don’t want any of these to happen, minimize saturated fats from your diet, which means controlling your consumption of red meat (beef, pork, and lamb), chicken skin, ice cream, and butter. You can also opt to consume foods that contain healthy fats, such as walnuts, avocados, peanut butter, and tofu.
Quit Smoking
People smoke for many different reasons. While some do it as a way to cope with intense emotions (too much stress or sadness), others smoke because they’re already addicted to nicotine. Regardless of what your reason is, if you’re smoking, it’s best if you turn over a new leaf as soon as possible.
Smoking can adversely affect your heart in many ways. For one, smoking can increase your heart rate, which will increase your susceptibility to anxiety. Smoking can also tighten the major arteries found in your cardiovascular system, which can cause an irregular heart rhythm. Your heart will experience all of these effects regardless if you’re using real or electronic cigarettes.
There are many ways on how you can quit smoking, and you can start by considering nicotine replacement therapy, learning about prescription pills, leaning on your loved ones, or avoiding people or situations that might trigger you to smoke.
Start Now
Having a healthy heart isn’t a one-time stint. This is a long-term commitment that’ll require your time and effort. Regardless of how effective the strategies you’re planning to use, if you’re only going to follow them for a week, don’t expect that your heart’s health will improve.
If you truly want to achieve a healthy heart, follow the tips presented in this article regularly as if they’re innate to you. The sooner you add these tips to your daily routine, the sooner you can experience an improved and healthier heart!
