Cardio Health: 7 Easy Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

1. Exercise regularly. A regular workout is good for your heart as well as your waistline. The best exercises are aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises will push your heart to work harder, thereby pumping more oxygen via the flow of blood. Thus by pumping your heart aerobically, it becomes fitter and stronger. The right level for good heart health should be somewhere between your resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate. A good rule of thumb is that if you can converse as you exercise, you are not overdoing it.

2. Eat colorful, low-fat meals. Adding color to your meals will give you a lot of nutrition to help you maintain good heart health. As you concentrate on vegetable produce as a key element in your diet, remember that these foods should not be drowned in heavy fats. Accompany them with fish or lean chicken for a low-fat meal.

3. Get good sleep. Getting sufficient quality sleep is vital for a strong heart. A strong correlation seems to exist between a lack of sleep and developing certain heart conditions. It appears that 7 to 8 hours is about right, while 5 or less can be harmful. Even sleeping too much may be a heart risk. Do yourself a favor and get just the right amount of sleep.

4. Reduce your stress. Stress not only creates problems within your body, such as dangerously elevated levels of certain hormones; it may also contribute to how you manage your other risks. When you are under stress, you are not so focused on what you eat, how you exercise, and other habits you might have. You can improve your health by learning to meditate, pray, or just plain relax.

5. Take fish oil supplements. Omega-3 fish oil supplements have been shown to help with certain aspects of heart health. If your triglycerides are high, it can be a precursor to heart problems if not treated. Omega-3 fish oil supplements can lower those triglycerides significantly or keep them at a healthy level. Omega-3 has also been shown to help by reducing arrhythmias and decreasing plaque in the circulatory system. [Note: MyHealthyLifestyle has a product called Cardio Protec that has multiple action against triglycerides and cholesterol.]

6. Try garlic. You may or may not decide to use them as a part of your daily regimen. The evidence on whether garlic helps your heart is mixed. It seems to lower blood cholesterol somewhat, and may lower blood pressure. It can be helpful, and many people have seen good results from using it. With the proper recipe, garlic can create some really nice culinary experiences.

7. You can get a supplement containing plant sterols. Plant sterols are well known for their ability to maintain low cholesterol levels. They work by imitating cholesterol and preventing its absorption into the body. They can be found added to certain foods or in capsule form as supplements.