3 Things Every Adult Should Know About Keeping Their Heart Healthy
Knowing how to keep your heart healthy is an important part of being an adult. Many adults are at risk for heart disease--some more than others based on genetic predispositions, but everyone has some risk and needs to make sure that they are doing everything that they can to protect their most important organ: their heart. Here are some thing you can do.
1. Eat a Diet Rich In Vegetables and Whole Grains
There are a lot of different diets out there than can confuse people as to what is the best for you. Although you will lose weight on certain diets, that doesn't mean that they are healthy for your heart. Being thin is not always an indicator of being healthy. This is why it is important that you eat a balanced diet that is rich in vegetables and whole grains. Whole grains help to keep the heart healthy and can encourage your body to get rid of unhealthy things like cholesterol. Eating foods that are fatty or eating lots of meat can be one of the worst things and can cause problems for your arteries. Fish is a good substitute and should be eaten often.
2. Do Lots Of Cardiovascular Training
Things like weight lifting and short interval training are great ways to get the look for the body that you want. But once again, just because someone has muscle doesn't mean that they have a healthy heart. You should always have at least some cardiovascular training mixed in your exercise routine. This is when you keep your heart rate up, not too high, for an extended period of time, usually about 30 minutes. This will encourage the heart to get stronger, so that your resting heart rate is lower and your overall heart health is better.
3. Know Your Family History
Unfortunately, lifestyle is only one part of the equation when it comes to heart health. You need to be aware of your family's history and if you are predisposed to any heart problems. If you haven't had your family history looked at, talk with a cardiology service, like PCNY Preventive Cardiology of New York. Things like high cholesterol can be genetic. You can have young adults, who appear thin and healthy, who have alarmingly high cholesterol and need medication to help lower it. The earlier you can start the treatment, the better you will be for avoiding heart attacks in the future.
By understanding and doing these things, you can keep your heart healthy throughout your life.
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