12
Easy Steps To Better Heart Health
Becoming
healthier doesn't have to be hard. Sometimes the best way to good health is
through small changes in your daily routine.
To
strengthen your heart, you don't need a total overhaul your life and diet all
at once. Heart health is one area where a few habit changes can really make a
difference.
Whether
you're trying to regain good health after suffering a heart-related illness
like stroke or hypertension, or simply trying to maintain a healthy heart,
these 12 easy steps can start you on your way to better heart health.
1. Eat Your
Breakfast
Make
proteins your first choice at breakfast when possible. Add whole grains like
oatmeal, bran cereal or whole-wheat toast as your back-up.
Not a
morning eater? Try a green shake such as Dr. Oz's famous spinach drink. Its low
in calories, tastes good, and gets you moving. You can make a batch and keep it
in the refrigerator so that it's ready when you are.
2. Eat One Extra
Fruit or Vegetable a Day
Add one
fruit or vegetable to your diet. They're low in calories and high in fiber.
Make it
a mid-morning snack to keep your energy flowing.
3. Don't Drink
your Calories
We all
know how much sugar is in soda. But have you thought about that morning latte?
Cutting
out just one of these high-calorie drinks will save you at least 100
nutrition-less calories a day. That's 36,500 calories in a year.
Think
about it. This one change alone will cut out 10 pounds a year of weight!
4. Take a 10-minute
Walk
If
you're just getting started, this is a comfortable way to begin exercising.
If
you're a fully-engaged exercise addict, this is a great way to add a few more
minutes of movement into your day.
5. Lift, Baby.
Lift!
Keep
small 2-pound weights nearby and ready for some lifting a few times a day.
Don't
have any weights? Use old quart-sized milk bottles filled with water or even a
large hardcover book.
Lifting
2-pound weights for a few repetitions a couple times each day will help tone
your arm muscles.
As
2-pound lifting becomes easy, try something a little heavier. Perhaps that
bottle of Tide will work!
6. Go Nuts!
Try
adding walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and other nuts to your diet. Nuts are
great for your heart.
Nuts
are a wonderful enhancement to any salad. They work well topping breakfast
cereals or mixed with fruit.
Nuts
can be used in place of meat in pastas or casseroles.
Need a
snack? A handful of nuts are great at quelling hunger.
Watch
the salt here, however!
7. Replace One
Meat Meal Per Week with Fish or Seafood
This
small dietary change is good for your heart, good your brain, and good for your
figure!
8. Wash Your Hands
Often!
Wash your
hands several times daily. This helps
protect your heart from infection.
Repeated
cleansing with soap and water is your best defense against illnesses such as
flu and pneumonia.
Remember:
Infectious illnesses are hard on your heart.
9. Turn off those
Highly Emotional Sources of News
Choose
your media carefully. Many of today's television news stories are written to
keep you angry and hostile.
Take
control of your environment. Decide that
it's time to switch the channel, lower your blood pressure, and alter your
attitude.
10.
Pause...Breathe Deeply
Spending
just a few minutes a day doing some deep breathing has been proven to help you
relax. It's also considered a way to help lower blood pressure.
11. Shut Off Your
Electronic Devices 1 Hour Before Bed
Give
yourself an hour free of electronic devices before you go to bed.
By
allowing your brain a period of slowdown time, you'll experience much deeper
sleep. Good sleep helps not only with heart health, but in total overall
health.
12. Stop and Count
your Blessings Each Day
It only
takes a few minutes of thankful thought to tap into what is good and working
within your life.
Counting
your blessings is a great way to plug into good feelings and reduce any
anxiety, worry or anger.
Positive
emotions are thought to lead to a longer life and greater feeling of well-being
overall.
Thought
for the Day
“Well Done is Better than Well Said” –
Benjamin Franklin
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