How to Maintain a Healthy Heart Through Diet and Exercise

One of the biggest risk factors linked to heart disease is having a poor diet. Maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle can result in obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, all of which put strain on the heart. It is important to exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, and ensure a well-balanced intake of the right foods to lower your cholesterol level. You may already be at risk from heart disease, have symptoms, or be looking at ways to improve your overall health. By undertaking positive lifestyle changes, you can help look after your heart.

Diet

It’s important to include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet. These are rich in the minerals and nutrients needed to keep your body healthy. While you’re at it, avoid eating a lot of saturated fat as this can contribute to a build-up of cholesterol in your arteries.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are known as “good fats” which are needed by the body, and can help lower the risk of heart disease. Examples of this type of fat include avocado, nuts and vegetable oils.

Introduce at least two portions of oily fish a week. These contain omega 3 and help sustain a healthy diet. Dark and red meats contain high amounts of saturated fat and should be consumed in moderation. Try to replace these with lean meats where possible.

Stay away from processed food and try and cook from scratch as much as possible. That way you know exactly what is going into your meals and have more control over what you eat.

Exercise

Diet and exercise go hand in hand to creating a healthier you. Exercise doesn’t have to mean running a marathon, or a big session at the gym. You can begin to introduce exercise gradually into your life by making a few simple changes. Try parking your car at the back of a carpark rather than the front or challenge yourself to opt for the stairs instead of a lift. These measures will add to your daily step count, and you will hardly even notice that you are exercising more.

As you begin to lose weight and become more comfortable with exercising, you may want to join a gym or exercise class. Alternatively, there are plenty of home workouts available online.

Support

Having the right support can make the world of difference when you are faced with making such changes to how you live. You may benefit from having an exercise buddy, or remain more focused on losing weight if you were to join a weight loss group. If following a healthy diet is something that you struggle with, and have experienced the symptoms of heart disease, it might be beneficial to arrange an appointment with your doctor. The Tripment website helps you find doctors in your area. Visit the website and you can compare and book online.

A change of lifestyle is by no means easy, but it can greatly aid the symptoms, or lessen the risk of heart disease. Making these small changes can have a positive outcome on the health of your heart and make you feel much better in the process.