Our heart is a muscle which can only get strong and healthier if we lead an active life. People who are active stay away from heart diseases. To prevent heart disease and make it healthy enough one must change his lifestyle and adapt healthy habits.

 Ways to keep your heart healthy are:

• Avoid Smoking- Smoking a cigarette and using tobacco is one of the leading causes of developing heart diseases. There are chemicals in the tobacco which can damage heart and makes it unhealthy. In order to stitch your way to healthy heart you should avoid smoking or limit its intake.
• Reduce weight- Being overweight and gaining excess body fat around the middle also leads to heart problems and diseases. Excess weight also increases your chance of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
• Have quality and sound sleeps– Being sleep deprived is another leading cause of heart diseases. Sleep deprivation can harm our overall health. A man needs at least 8-9 hours of quality sleep daily and if he is sleep deprived then the chances increase for obesity, hypertension, heart attack, depression and even diabetes.

Lack of physical activities and poor diet are some other factors leading to heart diseases. There are several ways to improve your heart health, it is highly recommended that one must follow a healthy diet and do regular exercise that makes our heart healthy and we remain protected from cardiovascular diseases like stroke or heart attack. An exercise is not only good for maintaining steady weight but also it helps in weight loss. Let us have a look at how exercising, diet and certain medicines for reducing calories play a major role in one’s life.

Also Read: Heart Attack- Know the risk

Healthy heart workout

A physical activity is something in which age, size and physical condition does not matter. Those who are inactive and do moderate physical activity are always benefitted. As soon as one starts moving his hands or legs, the health risks starts declining.

Benefits of exercise on heart

• Reduced risk of developing heart diseases
• Prevent already existed heart diseases from getting worse
• Helps in weight loss which can strain on heart
• Reduces risk of developing high blood pressure
• Helps to lower down blood pressure in people who have high blood pressure
• Raises good cholesterol or high density lipoproteins
• Lowers low density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol
• Lowering the amount of fat known as triglycerides in the bloodstream
• Makes heart and lungs work more efficiently

Sometimes fat and cholesterol builds up in blood vessels and when blood becomes clogged in heart and brain supplied by arteries. According to CDC one can do 30-60 minutes of moderate exercises like stair climbing, dancing, brisk walking and jogging for most days of the week.

Best exercise for healthy heart are given below which can be included in your plan:

• Aerobic exercise- Aerobic exercise is one of the best healthy heart rate exercise. One can try doing at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, which includes activities like brisk walking, swimming and mowing the lawn. Whereas 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity include running and aerobic dancing. You can also do combination of both moderate and vigorous activities throughout the week to get the most effective and best results. In case if it is difficult to manage in joint problems, choose low impact activity like swimming or hiking and maintain healthy heart forever.
• Stretching- Stretching is a physical exercise in which a muscle is stretched to improve muscle’s elasticity. The body becomes quite flexible when this is repeated for several times. Try to stretch gently so that you would not get hurt.
• Strength training- For strength training one can use weights, resistance bands and own body weight like yoga poses. Try to do it for two to three times a week so as to get the most effective weight loss results.

To get the best results and healthy heart, your exercise intensity should be at some moderate or vigorous level. In order to lose weight what you can do is do exercise with intensity because the more intense your exercise, good amount of calories you burn. Try not to overdo any exercise because it may increase your risk of soreness, injury and burnout. If you are new to start any physical activity, then try to start out at a light intensity and gradually build up to moderate intensity. All weight training programs and aerobic exercises proves beneficial in weight loss and keeping heart strong only when they are properly implemented along with healthy diet.

Eat your way to a healthy heart

In order to maintain a healthy heart it is very important that you follow a healthy diet. An obese man is at higher risk of getting heart diseases, so it is essential that one must remain fit. If you are obese or overweight then you must eat those food items which are good for health because the most basic way to lose weight is to burn calories. Follow these simple steps and shed extra weight:

How to reduce calories?

• Try to stay away from nuts because nuts have heart healthy fats and calories. One handful of oil roasted mix nuts contains 175 calories; 3 handfuls have 525. If you cannot resist try 2 handful of pistachios which has 159 calories
• Use small plates, bowls and small serving and eating utensils
• Snack frequently but in small quantities like intake of healthy nuts can curb your appetite
• Always start any meal of the day with salad and a glass of water so that it reduces your appetite
• Skip eating in front of the television. According to research from University of Massachusetts, consumes up to 288 calories more while watching television
• Skip eating desserts after dinner because dessert like coffee creations may contain about 670 calories followed by whole milk, whipped cream and syrups

These are some of the tips which can be followed to burn calorie. Other ways to improve heart health include those food items which help to maintain steady weight.

• Lean protein- According to a recent study from Purdue University, consuming lean protein enables weight loss. Non vegetarians may get lean proteins from foods like lean meat and egg whites. Best examples for lean protein are: chickpeas, tofu, beans, pulses, dairy items and peanut butter.
• Fruits and veggies- Fresh fruits and green veggies are the best foods boosting immunity and good for overall health. Even if one is non vegetarian he could include 2-3 whole fruits and green veggies as part of the meal which may curb the appetite and enables weight loss.
• Low salt and low starch foods- One must try cutting sodium and high starch foods which results in reducing weight and once the diet is properly maintained it leads to permanent weight loss. Sodium and salt makes body retain water and this adds pounds to the body. Eating carbs rich in starch and sugar also add on to weight so always ask your physician before beginning a low carbohydrate diet.
• Whole grain- Whole grains foods are considered to be nutrient packed power houses. These foods are good appetite controllers. Examples of whole grain foods include: barley, brown rice, oats and wild rice.

Ways to keep my heart healthy is no more an issue now if you follow a healthy diet and change your lifestyle. Other ways to keep your heart healthy are: be active throughout day, get regular health screenings, and manage your stress level. Try to laugh out loud and be happy which is foremost important for a healthy heart and living a better life.

Also Read: How to Tackle Heart Diseases- The Warning Signs and Healthy Diet Tips 

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