The heart is essential for supporting the circulatory system, pumping nutrient-rich blood throughout the body, transporting oxygen through the blood and assisting the immune system in functioning properly. In so many words, the heart is responsible for everything that gives us life. For all these reasons and more, making decisions to support a healthy heart is critical to our overall wellbeing.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can prevent heart disease, lower your risk for a heart attack and stroke and increase the likelihood that your heart will function optimally. Last month, our fitness professionals at USLI created a wellness challenge called Hearts in Motion. Participants focused on adopting nutrition, stress relief/mindfulness and movement habits that support a healthy heart.
Nutrition
One of the best ways to maintain a healthy heart is through the fuel (or food) we put in our body. Imagine you put the wrong fuel in your car’s gas tank. Depending on your awareness, you may not notice right away that the car wasn’t performing optimally; perhaps you were still able to get where you needed to go. However, what you don’t see is the potential wear and tear to the car.
This is the equivalent of the food we eat to fuel our body. While we may not feel the effects of a poor diet right away, it can still cause damage to our heart and arteries over time. We may not even know about the damage until it’s already done. Living preventatively and focusing on good nutrients is an important aspect of healthy living — prehab is always better than rehab. It is important to note that cholesterol levels and blood pressure can be directly impacted by your diet, as well as body weight and management of diabetes. Following a heart healthy diet that consists of healthy fats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds is vital. View our Hearts in Motion checklist for more information.
Movement
The heart is considered a muscle — exercise strengthens that muscle the same way it strengthens other muscles. Exercise can help heart function by improving the muscle’s ability to pull oxygen out of the blood. It can also help reduce stress hormones that burden the heart and can work like a beta blocker to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Creating a routine that includes all types of exercise will help decrease cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, provide higher insulin sensitivity, and create a more favorable lipoprotein profile. The American Heart Association recommends combining aerobic exercise (walking, biking, jogging, swimming) with resistance training (moderate weightlifting) for the best results.
Stress Relief and Mindfulness
Good psychological health is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, so it’s important to identify ways to manage your stress levels. When your body is constantly stressed, your cortisol levels remain high, which can increase your blood cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure. Taking time for self-care and completing tasks that help reduce stress and bring you joy are important for overall heart health.
Regardless of age, it’s never too soon or too late to take care of your heart; however, adopting healthy habits sooner rather than later means you can reap the benefits for longer! Be sure to check out our Hearts in Motion challenge, and start focusing on your heart health today.
