5 Ways to Keep Your Heart Strong
Keeping your heart strong can be a health challenge. Each year in the United States, more than 600,000 people die from heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death across the country.
A healthy heart is essential to a well-functioning body. Good heart health reduces the risk of disease, heart attack, high cholesterol, and more health concerns.
So, how to improve heart health? And how to make your heart stronger? Some heart diseases and challenges may be genetic or hereditary.
But, keeping your heart healthy has a lot to do with lifestyle choices like diet and exercise. Read on to discover these top five ways you can keep your heart healthy and health risk low.
- Understand Your Risks
If someone in your family has struggled with heart disease, you may be at higher risk. Inherited heart disease is caused by genetic changes that can be passed down through families. For example, familial hypercholesterolemia causes high cholesterol.
Other genetic heart diseases include monogenic conditions that may affect the heart’s electrical system or muscle. Understanding preexisting genetic risk can help you be more proactive about seeking medical assistance.
- Alcohol in Moderation
Studies have shown that alcohol in moderation lowers the risk of death from heart disease. Moderate drinking may help the heart by calming the brain’s stress signals.
Lower cardiovascular disease risk by enjoying alcohol in moderation. The same study conducted by the American College of Cardiology defines moderate drinking as no more than two alcoholic drinks per day for men and one for women.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
While the number on the scale doesn’t always reveal a person’s overall level of health, it is a good starting point for keeping your heart strong. Being overweight or obese adversely affects your heart health and can lead to dangerous risks like heart attack, and high blood pressure. Highly overweight or obese people use more oxygen and pressure to move blood around the heart.
A strong heart starts with lifestyle changes like healthy dieting and exercise. For example, try taking brisk walks every evening after work.
Or, join your local gym and try out different fitness classes. At home, add more heart-healthy foods like grains, vegetables, and lean meats to your diet.
- Stop Smoking
Smokers have a higher risk for stroke and heart disease. Smoking causes an increase in blood pressure and blood clots while reducing blood flow from the heart.
These issues cause stress and pressure on your heart muscles which leads to increased risk. Learn more here about the negative impact of smoking.
- Avoid Stressful Situations
Stress is harmful to your health but especially detrimental to the heart. Avoid stressful situations to maintain a normal resting heart level and avoid risks like heart attack, stroke, or other diseases.
Pinpoint the source of your stress and create coping mechanisms to manage overwhelming feelings. If your stress becomes unbearable, you may need to seek medical attention.
Keep Your Heart Strong and Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
Keeping your heart strong improves your overall health and lifestyle. But it’s important to first understand individual risks.
A healthy heart involves weight and stress management. Control your alcohol intake and stop smoking to improve heart health.
Did you find this information interesting? Then, check out our other health stories.
