- Take a 10-minute walk: If you don’t exercise at all, a brief walk is a great way to start. If you do so, it’s a good way to add more exercise to your day.
- Give yourself a lift: Lifting a hardcover book or a two-pound weight a few times a day can help tone your arm muscles. When that becomes a breeze, move on to heavier items or join a gyn.
- Eat one extra fruit or vegetable a day: Fruits and vegetables are inexpensive, taste good, and are good for everything from your brain to bowels.
- Make breakfast count: Start the day with some fruit and a serving of whole grains, like oatmeal, bran flakes, or whole-wheat toast.
- Stop drinking your calories: Cutting out just one sugar sweetened soda or calorie-laden latte can easily save you 100 or more calories a day. Over a year, that can translate into a 10-pound weight loss.
- Have a handful of nuts: Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and other nuts are good for your heart. Try grabbing some instead of chips or cookies when you need a snack, adding them to salads for a healthful and tasty crunch, or using them in place of meat in pasta and other dishes.
- Sample the fruits of the sea: Eat fish or other types of seafood instead of red meat once a week. Its good for the heart, the brain, and the waistline.
- Breathe deeply: Try breathing slowly and deeply for a few minutes a day. It can help you relax. Slow, deep breathing may also help lower blood pressure.
- Wash your hands often: Scrubbing up with soap and water often during the day is a great way to protect your heart and health. The flu, pneumonia, and other infections can be very hard for the heart.
- Count your blessings: Taking a moment each day to acknowledge the blessings in your life is one way to start tapping into other positive emotions. These have been linked with better health, longer life, and greater well-being, just as their opposites—chronic anger, worry, and hostility—contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.
- Let the music move you: Whether you prefer a rumba beat or two-step tune, dancing makes for a great heart-healthy workout. Like other aerobic exercise, it raises your heart rate and gets your lungs pumping. It also burns up to 200 calories or more per hour.
- Your Sleep Affects Your Heart: Most adults need at least 7 hours sleep. Those who sleep less than 6 hours can develop health problems (heart problems, stroke, high BP, Diabetes, Depression, Obesity)
- Go fish: Eating a diet in Omega-3-fatty acids can also help ward off heart disease. Many fish, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and herring, are rich sources of Omega-3-fatty acids.
- Laugh out loud: Laugh out loud in your daily life. Whether you like watching funny movies or cracking jokes with your friends, laughter may be good for your heart. Laughing can lower stress hormones, decrease inflammation in your arteries, and raise your levels of HDL, also known as good cholesterol.
- Stretch it out: Yoga can help you improve your balance, flexibility, and strength. It can help you relax and relieve stress. Yoga also improves your heart-health.
- Move it, move it, and move it: No matter how much you weigh, sitting for long periods of time could shorten your lifespan. If you work at a desk, remember to take regular breaks to move around. Go for a stroll on your lunch break, and enjoy regular exercise in your leisure time.
- Know your numbers: Keeping your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, body weight in check is important for good heart health. Learn the optimal levels for your sex and age group. Take steps to reach and maintain those levels. And remember to schedule regular check-ups with your doctor. If you want to make your doctor happy, keep good records of your vitals or lab numbers, and bring them to your appointments.
- Eat chocolate: Dark chocolate not only taste delicious, it also contains heart-healthy flavonoids. These compounds help reduce inflammation and lower your risk of heart disease.
- Take the scenic route home: Put down your cell phone, forget about the driver who cut you off, and enjoy your ride. Eliminating stress while driving can help lower BP and stress levels.
- Brew up a heart-healthy potion: No magic is needed to brew up a cup of green or black tea. Drinking one to three cups of tea per day help lower risk of heart problems.
- Brush your teeth regularly: Good oral hygiene prevents the bacteria that cause gum disease, thus preventing the risk of heart disease.
- Find your happy place: A sunny outlook may be good for your heart, as well as mood. Maintaining a positive outlook on life helps you stay healthier for longer.
