5 Ways To Promote Heart Health

If you want to stay strong for many years to come and enjoy advanced age in good health, here are some heart-healthy tips that can help you meet your goal.

1. Get a complete physical workup annually after age forty. A surprising number of people die unexpectedly from a heart attack while in their 30's or 40's, or older. Some have died younger from a surprise cardiac event. Whether or not you know of heart disease in your family history, get a complete physical exam by age forty. Depending on your overall health, you may need to have a stress test or other diagnostic procedures to determine whether you have a heart blockage or other potential problem. Check with your insurance company to find out which tests will be covered by your policy, or ask your doctor about financing such tests if you do not have health insurance.

2. Eat a healthy diet. What we eat may be the main factor in our state of health. Many of us eat a high-fat, low-fiber diet devoid of fruits and vegetables. But that pattern should be reversed. Everyone should aim to have at least two fruits and three vegetables each day, the more brightly colored, the better. More plant foods, up to nine daily, can provide additional health benefits. Avoid red meat and reduce consumption to perhaps two or three hand-sized servings per week. Instead, dine on fish, chicken, and lentils, which can be prepared in a variety of tasty dishes, to meet nutritional protein needs.

3. Exercise regularly. Check with your doctor to plan an exercise program that will fit your lifestyle and improve health. You may want to start with a daily thirty-minute walk before dinner. Gradually you can switch to race walking, jogging, or swimming for cross-training benefits and a change of pace. Get a spouse or friend to work out with you and build relationships while building your body.

4. Avoid or manage stress. Type A personalities seem to get angry easily, expend a lot of energy, and often are perfectionistic. Adopting a calmer approach to life can add years of longevity. Even if you're not a type A, though, learn to manage the stress in your life by avoiding tension-laced situations and keeping calm when confronted by a hostile situation. If you work in a fast-paced setting, use your breaks to listen to classical music, meditate, or write in a personal journal. All of these activities have been shown to reduce stress levels and promote a sense of well-being.

5. Stop smoking or don't start. Smoking is an extremely damaging habit that can impede blood circulation, promote mucous production, and irritate bodily symptoms to cause chronic inflammation. All of these can contribute to heart damage over time. Smoking is one of the chief habits associated with heart disease, along with poor diet and lack of exercise. If you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, get help in learning to quit.

Take control of your lifestyle to make simple changes that can have a profound effect on your heart health and quality of life.