A healthy heart generally means you have low cholesterol and blood pressure. Both of these factors can be influenced by diet and exercise. If your heart is healthy, it is likely that you will be able to run around and keep up with your kids and enjoy parenthood to the fullest. You can include your kids in your personal health practices to keep their hearts healthy, too.
Step 1
Eat more fiber. The consumption of foods high in fiber, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, help lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart disease. Aim for a minimum intake of 25 g per day.
Step 2
Limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat, like meats and dairy products, and trans fat from processed foods. Increase your intake of foods high in heart-healthy unsaturated fats, like nuts, avocados and olive oil. Saturated and trans fat has been proven to increase your bad cholesterol, LDL, which puts you at a greater risk for heart disease. Unsaturated fat improves your good cholesterol, HDL, and reduces your risk for heart disease.
Step 3
Stop salting your food. Even though your body needs some sodium, too much can cause high blood pressure, a condition very unhealthy for your heart. Try to keep your sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg per day if you are a healthy adult or 1,500 mg per day if you already have high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, are African-American, or middle-aged or elderly.
Step 4
Exercise most days of the week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity and at least two days of muscle-strengthening activities each week. You can do any form of exercise that you think is fun, including walking or running, hiking, yoga, surfing, skiing, dancing and more.
Tips and Warnings
- Set an example and make your kids live up to the same heart-healthy food standards as you. Keep their saturated fat, trans fat and sodium intakes low. Include your kids in your daily exercise routine by making it a group activity. You can go for a walk with them, play a sport, play tag, hopscotch, bike ride or do any other physical activity that they want to do with you.
