Cardiovascular illness remains a leading cause of death around the globe. Fortunately, safeguarding the health of your heart is possible through a few adjustments to your everyday habits. By managing risk factors, you’ll successfully maintain optimal cardiovascular health.
With this, we’ve rounded up a few proven ways to boost the health of your heart.
Prioritize General Checkups
Routine consultations with your GP or a specialist like Dr. Steven Masley are the best way to keep your overall well-being in check. During these consultations, your doctor will check your blood pressure, monitor your heart, and evaluate various other areas of your well-being to identify any warning signs.
In addition to general checkups, you should also prioritize annual vision and hearing tests to safeguard these areas of well-being as well. As you age, you should increase the frequency of all health checkups.
Start Exercising
Exercise is crucial for ideal heart health. Not only because your heart is a muscle that can be strengthened through exercise but also because physical activity encourages blood flow.
When it comes to choosing activities to boost heart health, cardio workouts are an excellent choice. Whether you go for a morning jog around the block, cycle, or swim, cardio exercises can strengthen heart health.
Quit Smoking
Kicking this habit is not exactly easy, although it is undeniably worth it when considering your overall well-being. While smoking is a leading cause of cancer, it’s also a leading cause of heart disease and other ailments.
If you are thinking about quitting, there are a few strategies to give up smoking that might help. Gradually cutting back and leaning on varenicline medication to ease withdrawal side effects are successful solutions. But to use this medication, you will need to consult your physician to determine safety and risk factors.
Eat Foods That Support Heart Health
Following a balanced diet is crucial for optimal well-being. With this, there are certain foods that are especially great for heart health, like salmon, avocado, and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Even though there are supplements out there, it’s always best to get nutrients from fresh foods.
Nevertheless, omega-3 fatty acids can prevent heart attack and the development of cardiovascular disease.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Obesity is a common risk factor for heart disease. Excess weight leads to the buildup of fatty material in arteries, which increases the chances of heart attack and heart disease.
Following a balanced diet and exercising routinely are excellent weight loss strategies, but it’s also important to remember portion control and balanced meal planning when maintaining a healthy weight.
Manage Stress
Our bodies have over a thousand different biochemical responses to the stress hormone cortisol, including an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. So, it’s essential to find ways to cope with stress to safeguard heart health.
The best ways to protect the health of your heart are to visit the doctor for an annual checkup, switch to a balanced diet, get routine exercise, manage stress better, and maintain an ideal weight.