5 Helpful Habits for a Healthy Heart
While we agree that we don’t need a bank holiday to get your health and wellness resolutions rolling, it doesn’t hurt to see the new year as a chance to begin again. We listed five ways to take care of your heart that you can turn into habits with a little diligence, practice, and self-love.
1. Find ways to move more.
If going to the gym or taking up a sport isn’t a viable option for now, find alternatives that will help you get a semblance of exercise. If you like dancing, look up videos of choreographers grooving to your favorite hits, go up and down the stairs in your building, or go for a stroll around the neighborhood. Whatever activity you choose to do, commit to doing it for at least ten minutes at a pace you’re comfortable with.
You can start with once a week and then pick up your pace until the routine becomes normal to you. You might be surprised what good taking a walk every day could do to your heart. According to sports cardiologist Dr. Michael Emery, any amount of physical activity helps improve cardiovascular health. So lace up those trainers you got for Christmas and schedule your first ten-minute walk tomorrow.
2. Prioritize your nutrition.
When it comes to heart health, the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that you eat more fruits and vegetables that are in season and are locally available to you. If you can’t get them fresh, you can also stock up on frozen produce to help extend your choices and buy more time to plan your meals. Just make sure you’re adding vitamin-rich greens into your cart, as well as fruits rich in antioxidants.
That being said, not everyone has access to healthy food all the time. You can help make up for this by taking omega-3 fish oil supplements. They aid the prevention of cardiovascular diseases by helping lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
3. Get quality sleep.
A good sleep hygiene isn’t just about getting eight hours of sleep; it’s equally important to be consistent. According to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, study finds that people with irregular sleep schedules tend to develop heart disease twice more than those who get enough Zzs every day. It’s also likely for people whose sleep is often disrupted to make poor eating habits as the lethargy may intensify cravings for comfort food, which are often high in salt, fat, or sugar. Sleep deprivation also increases the risk of developing high blood pressure which might lead to heart disease when prolonged.
Sticking to a bedtime may be challenging at first but gradually dialing down on sleeping late can be a good start. You can also keep your room as sleep-friendly as possible—turn down the lights, changing your sheets regularly, and keeping the temperature cool. If sleeping naturally is hard to come by, you can try taking melatonin supplements to help train your body sleep faster and easier.
4. Moderate your alcohol intake.
Depending on who you’re dining with, it can be easy to guess if there will be alcohol at the party. If you’re planning to drink, make sure you don’t do it on an empty stomach. Stay hydrated throughout the party and set a limit on drinks as you would with food.
5. Quit smoking.
We know we started this article with habits for a healthy heart but in this case, we recommend that you quit a bad one—smoking. It isn’t just the lungs that smoking adversely affects. In fact, a smoker’s heart rate and blood pressure increase when they smoke. This can disrupt the blood flow to the heart and damage the blood vessels. According to Johns Hopkin Medicine, cigarette smokers up their chances of getting heart disease up to four times compared with nonsmokers.
Quitting smoking isn’t just good news for breathing as it has immediate positive effects like food tasting better and your breath and clothes being spared from the sticky smell of cigarette smoking. Furthermore, giving up cigarettes would help stop teeth and nails from yellowing and it makes ordinary activities tolerable because you won’t be out of breath too soon.
Being honest with yourself about your health is important, and resolving to care for your heart better is a great way to start the year. And while we believe that developing new habits isn’t done overnight, there are ways to help you stay focused on your health goals. Cardiclear Omega-3 Fish Oil supplement can help you keep your heart healthy at a budget-friendly cost and free from hassle. Check out the benefits of Cardiclear and more to help you get started with your new health routine.