Heart Disease is the number-one cause of death amongst women and men and about one in four people die from it every year. I know it sounds pretty scary but that doesn't mean that we can't take action into our own hands when it comes to our diet, lifestyle, and mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing.
"Keeping your heart healthy is something you can work on everyday"
What does the heart do?
The heart is an organ and its biggest responsibility is to pump blood throughout the body through the ciculatory system, giving oxygen and nutrients to all our tissues and removing any waste of carbon dioxide. The most common type of heart disease, is a disorder in the blood vessels of the heart. It can increase the risk of heart attack, which occurs when an artery gets blocked and cuts off oxygen and nutrients going to the heart.
Here I will be sharing with you tips in boosting your heart health, in hope to make you feel empowered in taking charge of your health so you can live happier and healthier.
1. Take a 10-minute walk daily. If you don't exercise at all, a brief walk is a great way to start. If you do, it's a good way to add more exercise to your day. Staying physically active isn't just about burning calories and losing weight but keeping your body health and your mind happy too! Find a few different forms of exercise that you enjoy and make sure to get in a workout a few times each week. Go for a walk or hike, download a free yoga or exercise app, do some strength training (with or without weights), ride a bike, pick up jogging or turn on some music and dance. It’s a good idea to mix up your exercise routine especially if you get bored very easily plus it can serve your body well to do a variety of exercises anyway.
You should also avoid sitting for too long. This can be very challenging if you are working an office job from 9am to 6pm everyday so be sure to schedule breaks during the work day. You can take a quick stroll around the building or try using a standing desk if you can. It’s incredibly important to prioritize increasing your activity level on a daily basis.
2. Eat one extra fruit or vegetable a day. Fruits and vegetables are inexpensive, taste good, and are good for everything from your brain to your bowels. This should be no surprise but your food choices can affect your heart so eating foods that are rich in antioxidants can help to protect against coronary heart disease, or damage/disease in the heart's main blood vessels.
3. Start the day with a hearty breakfast. Start the day with some fruit and a serving of whole grains, like oatmeal, bran flakes, or whole-wheat toast. You can check out some of my breakfast recipes here for some ideas/inspiration.
4. Manage a healthy weight. Consuming too much added sugar can be one of the greatest threats to cardiovascular diseases. Added sugar is sugar that food manufacturers add to products to increase flavor or extend shelf life and excess consumption can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation. The top sources are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, cured meats, and ketchup.
5. Snack on a handful of nuts. I love all kinds of nuts so I'm happy to share that this healthy-fat and protein-filled foods help to improve heart health, not to mention that they taste delicious and will keep you feeling full for longer. They are great as snack options so try grabbing some instead of chips and cookies when you need a snack, adding them to salads for a healthful and tasty crunch, or using them in place of meat in pasta and other dishes. Walnuts in particular are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can help to decrease inflammation in the arteries and protect the heart,
6. Include in your diet healthy protein sources, mostly plants and seafood. Eat fish or other types of seafood instead of red meat once a week. This doesn't mean that you cannot enjoy meat on the rare occasion but the main goal here is to try adopt a plant-based lifestyle so that you can get lots of vegetables and fruit throughout your day, as well as whole grains, nuts and legumes.
7. Choose minimally processed foods, limit intake of saturated fats.
8. Cut down on salt, use herbs and spices instead.
9. Limit alcohol and quit smoking. Smoking is considered one of the primary risk factors involved in heart disease, and it is something that can be almost avoided entirely. Not only should you quit smoking if you are currently a smoker, but everyone should play a part in avoiding secondhand smoke.
10. Breathe deeply. Try breathing slowly and deeply for a few minutes a day. It can help you relax. Slow, deep breathing may also help lower blood pressure.
11. Look after your mental health, it is equally as important as your physical health. Looking after yourself if you have a mental health condition can sometimes feel overwhelming but the good news is that by taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle you can help lower your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.
12. Get enough sleep - aim for an average of 7 hours per night. Not getting enough sleep can impair your judgment, leading to poor food choices, unwise decisions that impact your health, and more. Additionally, a lack of sleep has been linked to increased blood pressure and inflammation throughout the body, both of which can lead to more chronic and problematic health concerns.
13. Count your blessings. Taking a moment each day to acknowledge the blessings in your life is one way to start tapping into other positive emotions. These have been linked with better health, longer life, and greater well-being, just as their opposites — chronic anger, worry, and hostility — contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.
14. Manage Your Stress as it is directly related to blood pressure, which is directly related to your heart health. Find a hobby that helps you relax such as yoga. Stress can no doubt cause havoc on our bodies so meditating is also another good way to help calm down, get centred and to improve on our overall mental and physical health. Try downloading Headspace, this is an app I have personally found to be very useful.
15. Get Regular Wellness Checks, final and most important tip. Stay up-to-date with regular wellness checks with your doctor. This will not only reassure you that all is well with your health, but it will give you more information about how well your body is functioning, including what your numbers are based on blood work, if you’re in a healthy weight range, and if there are any other health concerns that you should be aware of.
Little changes today can result in big benefits over time. Think of your health as a retirement account; if you consistently save a little bit over a long period time, it grows, and you reap the financial benefits later in life. Success starts with creating healthy habits you can sustain long term so take note of some of these recommendations and start taking charge of your heart health.
With love,
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