Our hearts are the most important, and often the most neglected organ in our bodies. Heart disease has a way of creeping in while we think we are maintaining a healthy body. The truth is many of us who believe we are healthy are simply setting ourselves up for health problems down the road.
In this superficial world, we often see someone who is relatively thin as being basically healthy. While it is true that carrying less body fat is a very good way to avoid heart problems, preventing heart disease requires more than a slim waistline.
Diet plays a huge role in heart health. Other than smoking and hereditary factors, a poor diet is probably the biggest cause of heart disease – and the easiest to fix. It is essential to reduce fat and cholesterol intake, as cholesterol build-up in the form of plaque on the walls of your arteries is the primary cause of heart disease today. Choose low-fat varieties of your favorite foods or substitute high-cholesterol foods with alternatives. Eat more chicken and fish and save the burger for a picnic. Use canola or olive oil rather than vegetable oil or butter. A little research will reveal many ways to substitute fat-laden ingredients with healthy ones.
Movement is essential to heart health. A sedentary body actually sort of shuts down – storing even healthy food as fat. The government recommends at least ninety minutes of moderate exercise per week but it does not have to be complicated or require a gym membership. For the average person, taking a brisk, thirty-minute walk several times a week will bring tremendous cardiovascular benefits. Even for those unable to walk, some slightly strenuous resistance training with the arms and shoulders will develop muscle and increase metabolism.
Stress plays havoc on your body and can lead to heart disease. People with high stress or agitation levels tend to have higher blood pressure and triglyceride levels, as well as an accumulation of belly fat due to the stress hormone cortisol. These three factors lead to problems with insulin levels and this can cause your metabolism to become less efficient – further increasing belly fat and blood pressure in a vicious cycle. Find ways to reduce or avoid stress. The practice of yoga has been shown to have tremendous physical and mental benefits – especially in stress reduction.
Obviously, some people are genetically predisposed to heart disease. But recent studies have shown that even serious congenital heart conditions can be dramatically improved through a regimen of strict diet and frequent moderate exercise.
