7 Tips for a Healthy Heart

You heart is your body's most important muscle, and it's time to start taking better care of it. Learn how in this article. It's easier than you think!

Your heart is the most important muscle in your body. However, people don’t normally take care of it like they should until it doesn’t work right. Why should you make efforts to maintain a healthy heart?

Heart diseases are one of the principle causes of death around the world. To avoid such conditions, we recommend that you do everything you can to keep your heart healthy..

In this article, we’ll give you some tips that will help you with this.

Tips for a healthy heart

Healthy habits are essential for both living longer and better. Reducing the risk of suffering any cardiac disease is simple. However, this depends on how much you want to change your daily habits.

The small things in your everyday life can make the difference between having a healthy heart or suffering a heart disease.

There are aspects that we can’t change (sex, age, genes, etc.). However,  outside of them it’s worth it to make the effort. Having a strong heart is essential for living a healthier life.

Pay attention to the following advice:

1. Start eating a balanced diet

We aren’t saying that you have to give up flours, fried foods, and sugars forever here. Nor are we talking about switching to a vegetarian diet. However, you need to change the foods that you eat regularly for a healthy heart.

You should avoid eating excess amounts of saturated fats and manufactured foods. These are directly proportional to the risks of suffering from heart problems.

Being careful with the amount of salt, red meat, and cold cuts you eat is important.

On the other hand, adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is always good. They not only help your heart stay healthy, but they also help the rest of your organs to work perfectly.

Legumes, nuts, and whole flours should also be in your dishes.

2. Exercise

On the other hand, sports and exercise bring you many benefits. Among these benefits, there’s weight loss, prevention of arteriosclerosis, and a reduction in cholesterol or blood sugar.

For adults, it’s recommended to get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. You can also do 75 minutes of intense exercise.

The ideal activities are aerobic: walking briskly, riding your bike, swimming, or running.

3. Eat healthy snacks

This could be at home or in the office. Try to change this habit that makes you choose unhealthy foods between meals.

At mid-morning, don’t go for a coffee with cream or a pastry. Instead, eat a yogurt with cereals or a fruit.

When you get back from work, don’t just sit on the couch with a bag of potato chips. Choose sunflower seeds or almonds instead.

Healthy snacks don’t need to be boring or flavorless.

What about carrot sticks with hummus or eggplant cream? Or a whole wheat sandwich with avocado and lean chicken?

There are thousands of options at your fingertips!

4. Reduce your stress

Of course, there’s a close relationship between nerves, anxiety, and heart problems.

Some people are more prone to suffer from stress. Many people let themselves be carried away by negative thoughts. If you find yourself in this group, you need to find a relaxation technique.

You can try yoga, meditation, or even psychological therapy.

Other ideas are:

• Traveling through the countryside.
• Soaking in the bath tub at home.
• Reading while stretched out on the couch.
• Listening to relaxing music before going to sleep.

5. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol

Tobacco has many dangerous substances. They can cause different types of cancer. In addition, tobacco has a toxic effect on your heart, veins, and arteries.
Cigarette smoke increases the possibilities of suffering from thrombosis and reduces your blood flow. Unfortunately, you have to be careful if you don’t smoke. You could suffer the same effects if someone close to you has this habit.

When talking about drinking alcohol, there is a comment that needs to be made: drinking a glass of red wine per day isn’t bad. In fact, it’s the opposite.

However, drinking in excess can cause severe heart problems.  The appearance of heart diseases is often related to drinking too much alcohol.

6. Keep your weight within a healthy range

Your body mass index is a test that can help you. It tells you exactly how many pounds you should weigh to be at your ideal weight. However, it’s not the only method available.

For those of us with a bit of extra weight, simply losing a bit of weight helps your blood pressure to regulate and your arteries to become healthier.

That doesn’t mean you should be obsessed by the numbers on the scale. You decide to lose weight to get healthier if you’re overweight.

Losing little by little is healthy for those of us with extra weight. It’s healthier than a “miracle” diet that promises to help you lose 20 pounds in less than a week.

Finally, you shouldn’t stop eating to achieve your objective: this may just make the situation worse.

7. Get enough sleep

How much is enough? That depends on each person. However, it’s estimated that you should get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep as an adult.

Having good sleep habits is beneficial for your heart. This is because it reduces your risk of tachycardia or heart attacks.
If you only sleep for a few hours, your body won’t produce the amount of serotonin it needs. This hormone is in charge of making you feel good and comfortable.

If you don’t find this hormone in normal doses, it can make you want to eat and drink more.