Keeping your heart healthy is an important part of maintaining an active lifestyle and warding off an untimely death. Heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women, notes the Mayo Clinic. There are a variety of things you can do to keep your heart healthy and reduce your risk of future heart related problems, including heart disease.
Get Active
Exercise is beneficial to your overall health, but it also helps keep your heart strong and healthy. Regular exercise will decrease your blood pressure and help you achieve a healthy weight. To keep your heart healthy you should be getting at least 45 minutes of total physical activity on five days out of the week.
Reduce Salt
People generally eat too much salt throughout the day. High levels of salt increase the amount of water your body retains, and the extra pressure caused by the water retention can increase your blood pressure. Avoid consuming more than 2,000 mg of salt per day.
Don't Light Up
Smoking can have devastating effects on your heart. The Mayo Clinic reports that one of the number one risk factors for heart disease is smoking and using other tobacco products. If you use tobacco products, stop. Also try to avoid secondhand smoke as much as possible.
Consume Fiber
Diets rich in fiber can help reduce your bad cholesterol levels. Foods that are rich in fiber include fruits, vegetables and whole-grains such as whole grain pastas, breads, cereals and oats.
Eat Monounsaturated Fats
Foods rich in monounsaturated fats will help reduce bad LDL cholesterol levels and protect you against heart disease and stroke, reports the American Heart Association. Foods that contain high levels of monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, nuts, seeds, peanut butter and avocados.
Avoid Fried Foods
Stop eating fried foods and replace them with baked, steamed or boiled alternatives. Fried foods contain high amounts of unhealthy fats and calories that will promote unnecessary weight gain.
Eat Plant Based Proteins
Replace some of your animal based proteins with plant based proteins, such as beans, tofu, soy products, nuts and beans. Occasionally making these replacements will help reduce the amounts of calories, unhealthy fats and cholesterol you consume.
Avoid Trans Fats
Trans fats are made to help keep foods from spoiling. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, even eating small amounts of trans fats can have negative health effects and raise bad cholesterol levels while lowering good cholesterol levels. Sources of trans fat include foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and vegetable shortening
Alcohol Intake
Be careful how much alcohol you regularly consume. A small amount of alcohol has been shown to have some benefit to heart health, but drinking too much can contribute to high blood pressure. Men should drink no more than two alcoholic beverages a day and women should stick to one.
Regular Check-Ups
Having you heart health regularly checked by your doctor can help ensure that heart problems are found early on and corrected before they become too bad. The Mayo Clinic reports that an optimal blood pressure level is around 120/80 and adults should have their cholesterol measured at least every five years.
