Heart is very strong organ of your body. It does not slow down or stop easily. It can work hard even when not at the peak of its health.
The best way to keep your heart healthy is to maintain a good lifestyle. Here are a few simple tips to keep your heart in best care:
Stop Smoking
Don’t come up with any excuse if you are told to quit smoking. Even smoking a few cigarettes per day will cause immense damage to your heart and lung. Now ask yourself if you should allow it to happen to your heart.
The risk factors for heart diseases are of two types – Modifiable and Non-Modifiable. Smoking comes under the first category. Giving up smoking will be good for not only your health but also your overall wellbeing.
Control Belly Fat
According to a research published in the journal of the American College of Cardiology, excess belly fat is strongly linked to high blood pressure and lipid levels. If fat is accumulating around your belly, it is high time for you to go slim. Eat fewer calories and exercise more – these are the passwords to iron out the excess fat you are carrying in middle.
Pair Salsa with Fresh Veggies
Salsa makes a great antioxidant snack if combined with fresh vegetables or low-fat chips. It also tastes delicious. Take a can and add black beans to empower your heart with added power of fibre. Mayo Clinic suggests that a diet high in soluble fibre helps lower the level of bad cholesterol. Barley, oats, apples, avocados and pears are other good sources of soluble fibre.
Play between the Sheets
Having sex is good for your heart’s health. Sexual activities are more than just having spice of pleasure in life. It also helps reduce your blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. Research shows that a lower frequency of sexual activity increases the cardiovascular diseases.
Get Busy with Knitting
Keep yourself engaged with what you love to do. Hobbies are great stress-busters and so good for your heart’s health. When you find some time from your regular monotonous work, resume your hobby to bring refreshment to your life. It is a great way to motivate yourself. Painting, singing, playing an instrument, reading, knitting, crocheting or even solving jigsaw puzzles will take the edge off your daily stress.
Put on Your Dancing Shoes
Whether you love a two-step tune or a rumba beat, dancing is a great heart-healthy exercise. Dancing, like other kinds of aerobic exercises, improves blood circulation and increases heart rate. According to a report by Mayo Clinic, dancing also burns up to 200 calories or even more per hour.
Eat Fish
Fish is good for your overall health. Fishes high in Omega-3 fatty acids, keep off heart diseases. Sea fishes such as tuna, sardines, salmon etc are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. AHA recommends that we should eat fish at least, twice a week. Some people are extra worried about harmful contaminants in fish due to water pollution. Good News is heart-healthy benefits significantly outweigh the risks.
Go Nutty for Nuts
Walnuts, pecans, almonds and other nuts are loaded with a powerful pack of heart-healthy fats, fibre and protein. Include those in your regular diet to reduce the risk of heart diseases. Make sure to enjoy only a small portion of them as nuts are high in calories.
Don’t Turn Your Back on Household Works
We agree household work might not be as interesting and invigorating as Zumba Class or Body Slam. But these activities get you going, burn calories and give your four chambers a healthy workout. Even if you have a housemaid, share some works with her to stay active. Turn on your favourite music and put some pep in your steps while doing your regular chores to take boredom out of it.
Stretch It out
Yoga is a great exercise of both body and mind. It promotes balance, strength and flexibility. Yoga help you relieve your stress and feel refreshed from within. What is more, it has great potentials to promote cardiovascular health. According to a report in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine Trusted Source, yoga has proved to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Laugh out Loud
Don’t restrict yourself to putting up a LOL sign on your Facebook Posts or in emails. Instead, laugh your heart out in your everyday life. Go with your friends to watch a comic show or movie, share funny jokes with your loved ones or do whatever adds a healthy burst of laughter in your life. Research demonstrates that laugher reduces stress hormones, lowers inflammation in arteries and raises HDL or good cholesterol.
Enjoy a Heart-Healthy Drink
You don’t have to be a celebrity chef to brew up magic in a cup of black or green tea. It lowers your cardiovascular problems. According to AHA, drinking 1-3 cups of green tea reduces the risk of angina and heart attacks
Never Skip Your Breakfast
Don’t give excuses for skipping the first meal of the day. Eating a nutrition-rich breakfast helps you maintain a healthy weight. Make sure to include whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.