Worried about your heart health?
Don’t wait until a loved one suffers from a life-threatening incident to step up and take charge of your own health.
Sadly, too many people take their health for granted and are only forced into action when the unthinkable happens.
It’s easier than you think to make positive strides towards living a heart-healthy life.
5 Things You Can Do To Protect Your Heart Right Now
1. Up Your Fiber Intake
A big part of keeping your ticker healthy is keeping your cholesterol numbers at a healthy range. That's between 40 and 49 mg per dL for men and 50-59 mg per dL for women.
A great way to keep cholesterol levels in check is by bumping up your dietary fiber. Those who get more dietary fiber almost always show healthier cholesterol profiles when studied.
Boost your fiber by eating more beans, cruciferous vegetables, fresh fruits, as well as whole grains like oats and barley.
2. Get Moving – Invest In A Pedometer
Walking is a great way to give your heart health a boost, but yet too many people are still stuck on the idea that they need to be exercising intensely for it to matter.
As little as 20-30 minutes of walking per day could significantly decrease your risk factor for heart disease.
TweetNeed a little extra motivation? Get yourself a pedometer to track your step count. Then set your goal to hit 5000-10000 steps per day and watch your heart health soar.
3. Use A Stress Journal
Stress reduction has been clinically linked to reduced rates of coronary disease, so taking stress seriously is a must.
Writing in a stress journal can go a long way towards making sure you are dealing with whatever is stressing you in a positive way. This will lower the chances of it negatively impacting your health.
High levels of stress on a daily basis can also increase your resting blood pressure. This is also tied in with an increased risk of both heart disease and stroke.
4. Meditate
One of the best things you can do to greatly reduce your risk of heart disease is to start meditating.
One study looked at transcendental meditation on those who suffer from metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
It noted that after just 16 weeks of continued practice, the meditation group showed lower resting blood pressure levels, decreased insulin resistance and heart rate variability.
All these factors are linked to heart disease.
Just 10-15 minutes of meditation a few times a week can offer these benets, so don’t think that you have to devote hours to chanting ‘om’ for this to work.
5. Go Vegetarian Twice A Week
Consider swapping out the meat in your dinner for some beans or lentils a few nights a week too.
One study noted that death rate from ischemic heart disease was 24% lower in vegetarians than it was in meat eaters. This just goes to show the benefits that going meatless offers.
While you may not reap as many benefits as going full vegetarian, at least it’ll be a great start.
These 5 small changes will keep your heart in good shape and lower your risk of heart disease. I challenge you to make one or more of these easy changes today!
Yours in Health,
Danette
P.S. I hope you will share this with everyone you know and I want to hear from you in the comments below.
