Top 10 List To Better Heart Health

What an amazing organ our heart is! It beats for an entire lifetime without stopping for a break. With every heartbeat, about a third of a cup of oxygen-rich blood is pumped out to your body. This means that between 1,500 and 2,000 gallons of blood are pumped through your heart every day. The average heartbeat is 72 times per minute. In the course of one day it beats over 100,000 times. In one year the heart beats almost 38 million times, and by the time you are 70 years old, on average, it beats 2.5 billion times! That makes me tired just thinking about it. 

The heart has a lot of work to do, so how can we help it stay healthy throughout life?
Heart Health Top 10

1. Eat a high-fiber dietDietary fiber is often classified into two categories: soluble and insoluble.

• Soluble fiber draws water into the bowel and can help slow digestion. Soluble fiber can help reduce bad cholesterol, triglycerides and elevated glucose (blood sugar). Examples include:
  
  
  • Oatmeal
  • Oat bran
  • Beans
  • Peas
  • Rice bran
  • Barley
  • Citrus
  • Strawberries
  • Apple pulp
• Insoluble fiber speeds digestion and can add bulk to the stool. Examples include:
  
  
  • Whole wheat breads
  • Wheat cereal
  • Wheat bran
  • Rye

2. Eat healthy fats

Most of us have heard about how fats are bad for us – but this isn't always the case. Some fats are very good for our ongoing well-being. Two of these fats are Omega-3 and Omega-6. Not only are they good for us, they're actually indispensible, which is why they are also called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). 

There are two reasons why these omega fatty acids are considered essential:

• By nourishing our heart, brain, skin, glands and joints and by helping the process that produces our hormones, these two EFAs play crucial roles in helping us sustain vibrant good health – from early adulthood development on up through healthy aging in the senior years.
• Because our bodies cannot make them internally, we have to get omega fatty acids from outside sources, such as diet and supplements.

3. Reduce saltIf you have high blood pressure or are at risk of developing it, cutting back on salt could reduce your risk of a heart attack by 25% or more. Your goal should be less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, which is about a teaspoon of salt.
4. Lose the gutEven if you are not significantly overweight, carrying extra fat around your middle is bad for your heart. It raises blood pressure, adversely affects blood lipids, causes insulin resistance and produces inflammation. No amount of crunches can reduce belly fat. The only way to get rid of it is to lose weight overall.
5. Increase activity
Updated recommendations from the American Heart Association call for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity most days of the week. Strength training, in addition to improving overall fitness, improves fat-burning capacity by increasing muscle mass. If you're over 45, already have some kind of cardiovascular problem, or haven't exercised regularly for years, see a doctor before lacing up your workout shoes.
6. Calm down
Stress triggers the release of hormones that can threaten your heart. Curbing negative emotions is almost as good for your heart as proper diet and exercise. For stress, try deep breathing and regular aerobic exercise.
7. Drink a little, if at all
Drinking a little bit of alcohol can raise HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce inflammation and blood clots. But too much can cause heart problems.
8. Don't smoke
As for smoking, don't. Cigarette smokers have twice the heart attack risk of nonsmokers. If you can't quit on your own, get help. It is essential for heart health that you don't smoke!
9.  Know your numbers
Elevated levels of C-reactive protein, LDL cholesterol, homocysteine, glucose (blood sugar) and triglycerides are associated with poor heart health. Know your numbers and work to keep them under control.
10. Stay in touch with family and friends
Love and gratitude are the emotions most closely connected with the heart, and science has shown that people who experience and express love have healthier hearts. Conversely, people that never form heartfelt attachments with others – those who never make room for love – have the shortest life spans and highest death rates from all causes.
So, take care of your heart through nutrients and nourishment. Learn to love and accept love from others and be grateful. Be grateful for all the wonders in your life – large and small – and be grateful for your heart:  a small organ with a huge impact on your health and happiness.