As you continue to age, it’s essential to take steps to protect your cardiovascular health. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use, and long-term health conditions such as diabetes can permanently damage your cardiovascular health and put you at an increased risk of a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure incident. Luckily, there are many simple ways to reduce your risk of such an episode by looking after your general health and wellness. Everything from exercising to increasing sleep and including a nerve control supplement in your diet can boost your nervous system health. Here are a few simple steps to help you achieve optimal health.
Maintain an Active Lifestyle
If you want to look after your cardiovascular health but aren’t currently leading an active lifestyle, regular exercise is a great place to start. Adopting new exercise habits doesn’t always mean you have to get off your couch and register for a 5K right away. It’s first about making time to get up and moving within your daily schedule. If your current work habits, commute, or daily routine make it seem like you don’t have the time, you’ll need to reprioritize. Looking after your health and physical fitness should be one of your top priorities, particularly as you continue to age.
If you’re looking to jump into a new exercise regime right away, that’s great! There’s nothing wrong with starting off strong- so long as you aren’t going at a pace that will burn you out. The right way to get started for many adults is by walking around the block or biking around the park. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t ready to start running right away and need to build up our overall lung capacity. The same policies apply to lifting weights- it’s always a good idea to start small and then work your way upwards gradually rather than all at once.
Whether you’re lifting weights or walking around the park, you’re allowing your cardiovascular system to thrive by improving blood flow. The American Heart Association recommends that anyone between the ages of 18 and 75 should dedicate 150 minutes per week to exercise, at the minimum. The higher you can get above this number, the more likely you are to make significant progress towards improving your cardiovascular health.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Along with regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet is critical to improving your cardiovascular health. A healthy diet is one of the central determining factors in your body’s ability to maintain a natural, healthy weight, along with a reasonable BMI (body mass index) based on your height, age, and gender. A new healthy diet doesn’t necessarily mean you need to swear off ice cream forever. Instead, adhere to the policy of consuming everything that’s unhealthy in relative moderation.
Beginning a new healthy diet isn’t about looking up the latest and greatest trends for losing weight. Instead, it’s about making the right choices when you visit the grocery store. You’ll want to include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, for starters. Generally speaking, you should select a wide variety of colors for your produce department products to ensure you’re consuming a healthy mix of vitamins and minerals. Daily multivitamins and natural health supplements are a potential alternative for anyone with a deficiency in these organics.
Beans, legumes, and fish, along with tofu and other forms of soy, are excellent choices when it comes to the proteins in your diet. On the other hand, red meat is one of the foods you’ll need to avoid. For most individuals, fish is the best alternative. Salmon and sardines are rich in omega-3 and other beneficial fats, the likes of which you’ll also find in avocados, olive oil, and almonds.
Quit Smoking
Cigarettes are incredibly damaging for both your lungs and your heart health. The chemicals found within directly interact with your blood vessels and restrict oxygen. While this might seem like an obvious bit of advice, it’s also an important reminder. Smoking can essentially cut several years off of your life, particularly if you’re already at risk for heart problems. Even a few days away from cigarettes can have a considerable effect on your overall health, in that the amount of CO2 in your bloodstream will lower significantly. Here’s a handy guide to the health benefits of quitting smoking over time.
Get More Sleep
Irregular sleep habits can also prove to be harmful to your heart health, in addition to overall wellness and your ability to create memories. On the other hand, quality sleep can play a major role in dropping your stress levels, which can then lower the rhythm of your heart back down to more stable levels. 7 to 8 hours of sleep is the recommended minimum for the majority of adults, though young adults can benefit from an extra hour or two above these levels. By recharging your system, you’ll find it significantly easier to manage your cardiovascular health.
Take a Break
With the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, more Americans are working from home than ever before. While there’s certainly a health benefit to staying home and reducing transmission, you can also start to see adverse effects on your cardiovascular health from sitting in your office chair at home all day. Make sure to schedule breaks during the workday where you can get up and get moving. While you may not need to get up and go down the hall to visit with co-workers anymore, it’s still important to squeeze in those extra steps wherever and whenever possible.
Schedule Regular Appointments with Your Doctor
Meeting with your doctor to discuss your health is a good idea for most adults at least twice a year. There’s nothing wrong with meeting with your doctor when you feel like you’re healthy. Remember, these medical professionals can assist you in developing healthy habits no matter where you’re at in life. You’ll also have the opportunity to consult about your daily routines, medications, and existing health conditions.
