Top Ten Tips for Heart Health
Sadly, heart and circulatory disease is very common in the Western World causing many early deaths.
But there is lots you can do to help your heart achieve a healthier status.
We share our top ten tips here...
1. Climbing the stairs
If you can make the effort to climb just fifty stairs each and every day, this action could slash your risk of heart disease by twenty percent. Many people as they get older try to avoid stairs, often choosing to move into a home without stairs if they can. But you will not be doing yourself any favors by avoiding those stairs! Another suggestion is eccentric exercise which comes with lots of new ideas.
2. Standing up instead of sedentary sitting
There is lots of research pointing to the fact that sitting for long periods is very bad for your muscular skeletal health, your joints and your back - but also for your cardiovascular health. If you have to sit a lot, make the effort to remind yourself every half an hour or so to get up and get moving even if it is just for a half or full minute. It can be an opportunity for some of that stair climbing!
3. Snacking on fruit
We all know only too well how easy it is to reach for something unsuitable as a snack. Instead choose dried fruit or fresh raspberries and blueberries. These all contain polyphenols, helpful for reducing inflammation which in turn helps to prevent heart disease.
4. Eating plenty of fiber
When you include plenty of fiber in your diet, you can achieve a lower body weight, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol - all of which is good news for your heart health. Choose brown over white whether it is pasta, bread or rice to this end. Other healthy foods include kimchi, natural yogurt and any fermented foods as they are helpful in reducing insulin resistance and cholesterol levels.
5. Exercising in these different ways
Very few of us exercise as much as we should. Running, walking briskly, cycling, swimming and more give us plenty to choose from. Resistance training is a great idea to include in your exercise program.
6. Remembering to floss your teeth
Not something you might connect with heart health but research is now pointing to a link between dental health and cardiovascular disease. So more important than ever to brush those teeth at least twice a day correctly, to floss the teeth and even to undergo some oil pulling daily. This is where you take a spoonful of coconut oil first thing in the morning before eating and drinking and keep it in your mouth for about fifteen minutes, swishing it about to get rid of toxins and more. Spit it out when completed.
7. Cutting down on your alcohol intake and cutting out the smoking
You will know if you drink too much alcohol and what you must do to cut down. Ideally, the occasional glass of wine will help to cut down your risks.
There is never a good reason to carry on smoking, being bad for your heart, bad for your lungs and of course forever linked with cancer. In addition to the addictive nature of nicotine, the chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the blood to thicken and form clots inside the veins an the arteries
8. Including flax seed oil in your diet
Flax seed will support healthy cardiovascular function because it is so rich in omega-3 acids, namely eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA will help support healthy blood pressure as well as helping maintain normal heart rhythm and pumping. In addition, the presence of nitric oxide which is a gas molecule which helps support healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range.
9. Avoiding extra sugar and salt
If you want to use salt, then go for a natural salt in place of a regular salt and stick to the minimum amount necessary. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease. And of course sugar has so many detrimental side effects including those affecting heart health.
10. Enjoying that cup of tea
A study recently published found that drinking two or more daily cups of black tea lowered the overall risk of death by nine to thirteen percent among people in the UK over a 14-year period, relative to those who drank no tea.
The study also revealed an association between drinking multiple cups of tea and a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Find out more in our earlier blog post here.
SOURCES:
Eating, diet, and nutrition for GER and GERD. (2014, November 13)
niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/ger-and-gerd-in-adults/Pages/eating-diet-nutrition.aspx - (Accessed July 5, 2021).
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.