3 Ways To Have Better Cardiovascular Health

Start empowering your life today. Enjoying better cardiovascular health is necessary to have general well-being and improve your quality of life. The lifestyle that many of us maintain today often forces us to maintain habits that damage our hearts.

Continued sedentary lifestyle, the impossibility of adequately managing our sources of stress or maintaining unhealthy eating habits will make our heart suffer, almost without realizing it.

The best time to take care of our cardiovascular health is always now, whether we are in our 20s or 60s. We do not have to wait for our doctor to tell us that we have high cholesterol to make small changes.

Investing in the present is earning in the future. We suggest that from today you put into practice these simple strategies with which you can have better cardiovascular health.

Your heart, a serious matter

We are aware that, today, the disease that we fear the most and that usually causes the greatest impact is cancer. However, we cannot forget that the main cause of mortality continues to be cardiovascular diseases.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), among the 10 diseases that cause the highest number of deaths each year are ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and hypertensive heart disease

Something that we should bear in mind is that a good percentage of these human losses could be avoided. This would only be possible if we took care of our lifestyle habits.

Exercising, eating the right diet, not smoking, or even taking our genetic background into account could help us not only have a longer life expectancy, but a better quality of life. Your heart asks you every day to take care of it. Next, we explain three ways to carry it out.

Read also Hypertension: 5 factors to consider

Three keys to improving your cardiovascular health

Every September 29, and since 2000, the “Heart Day” is celebrated. This year, the World Heart Federation has done so under the motto “Power your life.” This simple phrase fits very well with that strength and motivation that we should all have on a day-to-day basis to attend to our hearts.

Something that medical institutions always reveal to us is that people are still not very aware of the risk factors that affect our heart.

The main problem is, without a doubt, that, many times, they have a silent start. Cholesterol or hypertension are two conditions that take a long time to show obvious symptoms.

So that we open our eyes, so that we are good architects of our health, let’s learn to enhance our life through these three tips.

1. Monitor cardiovascular risk factors

The first thing we must do to have a better cardiovascular health is to take care of possible risks. We must establish periodic reviews with our doctors. We must control the following indicators:

• Blood pressure.
• Cholesterol.
• Blood glucose.
• Body mass index.

If, in addition, we have a genetic history associated with different cardiovascular ailments, we must also discuss this with our doctor.

2. Walk half an hour a day, 5 times a week

Going for a walk for half an hour a day is not much. It does not break any routine, it does not suppose an extreme sacrifice and, when our body gets used to it, we will even need it.

• Walking at a constant and adequate pace is the best cardiovascular exercise that we can carry out.
• Go for a walk in a natural environment, if possible with good company and with appropriate shoes and clothing.

• If you have bone problems, such as knee or hip osteoarthritis, walk on a treadmill.

Riding on the safer, flat surface of these machines prevents overloads and possible injuries while keeping your pace at all times.

Also read 8 facts you should know about fat and losing weight

3. Watch your diet

How do you feed yourself? Do you think you do it in the best way? Sometimes, who is guided only by the pleasure of consuming certain foods what this achieves is to harm the heart.  It is necessary that we take maximum care of everything that we put on our plates. Follow, if you wish, these simple tips:

• Eliminate saturated fats, trans fats, sugars, and salt from your meals.

• Consume citrus fruits: they are ideal for reducing cholesterol.
• Throughout the week increase the consumption of aubergines, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, broccoli, arugula and tomatoes. They are great vegetables for your cardiovascular health.
• Add chia, flaxseed or sesame seeds to your food, smoothies or yogurt.
• Whenever it is the season, take advantage of the virtues of the pomegranates. They are great for the heart.
• Eat garlic and onion.
• Eating a square of dark chocolate a day will brighten your life and take care of your heart.
• The salmon is also highly recommended.

Start taking care of yourself today to have  better cardiovascular health, the effort is worth it. While it is difficult to change some habits, with small steps you will make a big change.