Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body. It keeps you alive, for starters, and a healthy heart is the key to a healthy and happy life. It’s even been said that a good heart keeps you young and can protect you from many age-related issues. There are even linked between heart disease and hearing loss, for yet another reason to look after it.

With all of this in mind, it makes sense that you’d want to keep your heart as healthy as possible. Whether you’ve been told to make lifestyle changes to cope with a potential heart condition, or you simply want to live a healthier life, here are some tips to help out. 

Heart Healthy Foods

Diet is a part of losing weight, but keeping your heart healthy is more than that. Rather than simply eating less, you need to change the types of food that you eat. Reducing your salt intake is a good way to start, and less sugar is always a good idea.

However, fat isn’t necessarily evil. Yes, saturated fats can impact your heart and cardiovascular system, but good, healthy fats can be good for the heart. Fish and avocado, for example, are high in healthy fats and other nutrients. Chocolate and red wine in moderation are also known to improve your heart. If you are looking for a fun way to try out new wines every month, The California Wine Club has several subscription options.

Keep Active

Your heart is a muscle and, like any muscle, it gets stronger the more you exercise it. A strong heart is a healthy heart and, with the right exercise routine, you can keep it going for longer. Any exercise is better than none, as long as it gets your heart pumping.

Modern life is sedentary, with many people living and working behind desks or at home. If you’re busy with life and work, it’s sometimes hard to carve out time for an exercise routine. However, even half an hour a day is better than nothing. Try some of these exercises from home to boost your heart health and get yourself fit. You’ll feel better and even look better too. 

Losing Weight

Keeping fit and active will help you to lose weight, but there’s more to it than that. A healthy weight massively reduces the risk of heart disease and being overweight or obese are major risk factors for poor heart health. Even being underweight can strain your heart, so remember that being fashionably thin isn’t the main purpose, being healthy is. 

Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight means changing your lifestyle. It involves how you move and eat, as well as how you think about your weight. However, anyone can keep their weight to a healthy level and it’s more than worth the effort.

Ditch the Smoking

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your heart health. Smoking puts stress on your heart and lungs and can take years off your life. By ditching the cigarettes, you’re doing your body a favor.