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by Michelle Sutton-Kerchner
Celebrate your heart by showing it some extra love. At about 115,000 beats per day, it deserves your healthiest efforts …
You probably do not need a lifestyle overhaul to make your heart happy. That alone can be a shock to the heart as well as the rest of your being. Simply integrate these suggestions into your routine. Through small steps, you can be healthier with every beat of your heart.
Schedule a Check-up
An annual physical with your physician allows you to create a baseline of your health, much of which directly impacts your heart. Follow guidelines for routine bloodwork to monitor cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels. Check your blood pressure. Often, routine exams include EKG testing. Know what is normally healthy for you, which may vary from the textbook definition.
Once tests are obtained, aim to improve your numbers. Even within range, you always can strive for better! Monitor your blood pressure and heart rate. These provide a picture of your health to confirm your current status and provide comparisons for future use.
Get Your Cardio Going
Some of the best exercises for heart health involve aerobic activity. Aerobic exercises use large muscle groups in a rhythmic pattern. For a heart-focused workout, experts recommend:
- Elliptical machines. By simultaneously working your upper- and lower-half, the elliptical gets blood pumping throughout the body. It mimics the cardio benefits of running but without as much joint stress.
- Swimming. Spend 2.5 hours per week swimming and accomplish your heart-healthy aerobic benefits. The Center’s pool is conveniently open year-round and always at the right
Fuel the beat. temperature. Get your heart pumping in the gentleness of the water with one of the best aerobic exercises.
- Dancing. Move with grove in a Group Fitness class. The rhythmic and social nature, timed with upbeat music, makes it possible to actually enjoy an elevated heart rate! Plus, dancing can be done anytime. Bust some moves before cooking dinner or after a morning of sitting at your desk.
- Cycling. Powering the legs’ large muscle groups really gives the heart a run. The variety of stationary bikes, cycling classes, or outdoor rides offers unique approaches to keep this exercise exciting.
- Pilates, T’ai Chi, and Yoga. By connecting movement with breath, these workouts are done in harmony with the body’s natural rhythm. Often considered meditative versions of exercise, they help reverse stress’ negative effects on the heart, including high blood pressure.
- Walking. Simple and possible for even the resistant couch potato, just adding steps to your day is beneficial. Walking is great exercise for beginners; for fitness vets, it is an easy way to introduce more activity to your day. Any movement, including an easy stroll, increases circulation. Research has proven the more people sit at length—whether for TV binging or working—the more likely they are to die from heart disease. Take action!
Feed Your Heart
Choose foods that help reduce bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and diminish inflammation. Try to replace meat with oily fish (high in omega-3s) at least twice per week. Beans with high soluble fiber are another heart-healthy source of protein.
Snack on berries, walnuts, low-fat yogurt, and red grapes. Red grapes are considered responsible for the heart benefits enjoyed from a small glass of red wine. Dark chocolate is possibly everyone’s favorite heart-healthy snack. Choose 70 percent cocoa to get the more healthful flavanols and less sugar. One small piece does the trick for heart health without excess calories. (Anything beyond is less about your heart and more about your taste buds.)
Little tweaks: Replace butter and margarine with nut butters. Use spices to flavor food instead of salt. Replace mayonnaise with the creaminess of avocados in sandwiches. Cook with olive oil. Use olive oil cooking spray when possible to limit use.
Keep Laughter in Your Heart
Life is short. Make fun of it. Laughter helps your heart thrive. It is a physical and emotional release of tension, and an immunity booster. Laugh your way to a healthier heart and soul.
Sources
“Top 11 Heart-Healthy Foods,” by Kerri-Ann Jennings at webmd.com.
“9 Great Heart-Friendly Exercises,” by Chris Iliades at everydayhealth.com
