The month of February is designated National Heart Month as it is traditionally full of images of beautiful Valentine Hearts! To celebrate a healthier heart, here are some quick tips for lowering your risk for heart attack, stroke and related cardiovascular disease. Working on incorporating as many of these tips into your lifestyle can help prevent damage to blood vessels and the heart while helping the cardiovascular system restore its health through healing.
Switch from soda to unsweetened green tea. Brew your own and carry it to work or play in a stainless steel water bottle. Green tea is loaded with heart healthy antioxidants that help prevent damage to blood vessels. Drinking just two cups a day has been shown to have heart protective benefits.
Take a relaxation break. Routine quiet times throughout the day can lower blood pressure and stress hormones that wreak havoc on the heart and cardiovascular system. Just pause and take a few deep breaths, or stretch a little and let your body slow down. Longer sessions of meditation or yoga have great benefits for the heart.
Eat healthy nuts. Not candied ones, but raw, natural nuts. Almonds, walnuts and many other nuts have been shown to lower LDL or bad cholesterol in the blood stream. Nuts are high in calories so don't overdo it. Just a handful a day can help protect the heart with healthy fats.
Take a walk. Walking gets the body moving, pumping blood, pulling fresh air into the lungs. A brisk two-mile walk every day can help control weight, strengthen the heart, and improve circulation. Blood pressure lowers and Type 2 diabetes can even be controlled with daily walks.
Quit smoking. We all know the damage that smoking does to the arteries and lungs! If you can't quit, cut down. Any reduction in smoking helps the heart.
Get plenty of sleep at night. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation damages the heart. A busy lifestyle can lead to five or fewer hours of sleep at night. This can more than double your risk for heart attacks. Aim for a full eight hours. Some people need even more. Sleep is a time for the body to restore itself. If you have trouble falling asleep, try deep breathing exercises just prior to turning out the lights. People who get adequate sleep have better weight control and overall health.
Start strength training. Adding strength training to an overall exercise routine strengthens the heart muscle and helps it beat with efficiency. Although aerobic exercise should be a part of a daily routine, strength training sessions can be two or three times a week.
Stop eating fast food. Loaded with saturated fat, sugar, salt and additives, most fast food is damaging to more than just the heart. Chronic diseases and obesity are more and more blamed on a diet full of highly process food and frequent stops at fast food restaurants.
Follow these 8 tips and you will have a healthier heart this February!
Monique Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality, natural, alternative health products to treat and prevent heart disease. To learn about how to prevent and treat heart disease naturally, visit her blog for weekly tips at moniquerhawkins.com Heart Patient Diet Plan
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