Top 10 Tips For A Healthy Heart
As February draws to an end, so too does National Heart
Month, but keeping your ticker in good working order doesn’t have to. We wanted
to share some top tips for maintaining a healthy heart now and in the future.
Cut out salt
It is far too easy to use too much salt in your cooking or add
more at the table and it can play a big part in increasing your blood pressure
and risk of heart disease. If you try to cut down or stop using it, you will be
surprised how little you miss it and you can substitute with healthier herbs to
add flavour to your meal.
Have a check up
Get into the habit of going for regular check-ups the older
you get. It gives doctors the opportunity to spot early signs of health issues
and allows you and them to address them before they become serious.
Get Active
You don’t have to be Paula Radcliffe; but making time to go
for a walk, swimming or a bike ride on a regular basis can really help to boost
your cardiovascular health and be good fun too.
Stop smoking
If you’re a smoker and you want to improve your health, the
first step you should take is to stop smoking. It will be the hardest step but once
you’ve beaten your smoking habit, you can beat anything.
Relax
The best part is, not all solutions require a large amount
of action. How about doing nothing? Relaxing by whatever way you enjoy most
will help to reduce your stress levels and give your heart a rest. This is a
particularly good tip for those people with very hectic lifestyles!
Fish isn’t exactly the most popular food, unless it’s
wrapped in batter and served up with chips but it can reduce your risk of heart
disease if served in a healthy manner. If you’re a meat lover by nature, try Tuna
steaks, you’ll still get a nice meaty texture and amazing flavour without the
fat that can be harmful to your health.
Enjoy a glass of red
wine
This is one of our favourite tips, a glass of wine a day can
greatly reduce your risk of heart disease and improve cardiovascular health. For
the healthiest choice try a Rioja, it comes packed with anti-oxidants and
nutrients.
Make Your Housework
Exercise
You can’t avoid house work, try as you might, so why not get
free exercise from it. It’s not as vigorous as other forms of exercise but you’ll
find that doing your housework to your favourite music and adding in some
energy will give you a great boost!
Eat chocolate…good
chocolate
This isn’t a free pass to eat whatever chocolate you want.
For a start there is no point eating white or milk chocolate, these are heavily
processed and possess none of the benefits we want. Buy yourself a rich bar of
dark chocolate and limit yourself to 2 pieces per day to stave off heart
disease, it’s a nice healthy treat.
Enjoy your life
Don’t let your fear of heart disease or any other health
issue dictate how you live your life. Life is there to be enjoyed, so make
healthy living a part of your life, not the focus of it.