Heart health depends on a wide range of factors, and some of those can't be changed. However, there are plenty of factors that are within your control. For better heart health, here are just a few of the natural ways you can succeed.
Stay Away From Tobacco
Being exposed to tobacco is a serious risk factor for heart disease. If you smoke or use tobacco in another form, quit as soon as possible. There are immediate heart benefits when you quit, and those benefits only get better over time. If you are often around smoke, try to distance yourself from that second-hand exposure. Even if you aren't the one smoking, you can still have adverse effects from merely being exposed to the smoke.
Eat a Balanced Diet
Some foods support better heart health; then there are those that are known to contribute to heart disease. An excellent way to get a healthier heart is to educate yourself about fats that are heart-healthy and ones that should always be avoided. Be sure to have a variety of produce in your diet for a balance of nutrients. Cutting down on meat, or eating leaner cuts of meat, has also been shown to be helpful. Add whole grains to your diet and make sure the fats you consume are healthy ones like olive oil. A diet that has more foods in their natural state, and fewer foods that are highly processed, is generally a more nutritious one.
Exercise Regularly
Getting your heart rate up is hugely beneficial to overall health for most people. Getting exercise in a few times a week is best, but even just twice a week can be extremely helpful to heart health. Brisk walking is enough to raise the heart rate for most people, and this form of exercise is low impact and free to do. Playing a sport or attending an aerobics class are also good ways to establish a routine of physical activity if you are more motivated by group exercise.
Get Enough Sleep
It may seem like getting plenty of sleep isn't a top priority, but this attitude can cause a multitude of health problems. When you don't get enough sleep, you put more stress on your heart, and this can lead to a higher risk of heart disease. For most adults, getting seven or eight hours of sleep is enough for optimal health. If you don't get that much, consider scaling back on some of your tasks to allow for more sleep.
All of these factors can significantly affect your risk for heart disease, so be sure to make progress on each of them for better heart health.
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