Lifestyle Changes for a Healthy Heart

By Leah Favela

With an estimated 17.9 million lives taken each year, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. An estimated 4 out of 5 cardiovascular deaths are from heart attack and stroke, and one-third of these are premature deaths in people under the age of 70.

Scary right?

But you don’t have to be another statistic. While genetics play a major role in heart disease, there are risk factors that you can take control of. Certain daily habits like eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, and reducing stress can keep your heart happy and healthy.

Your heart is the most important muscle in your body. It works hard to pump blood and oxygen to all of your organs. So, you should take extra good care of your heart by adopting good habits and knowing the signs of poor heart health.

Here’s what you can do to have a healthy heart…

Make Better Nutrition Choices

A heart-healthy diet includes a variety of fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats.

While red meat may seem like a good source of protein, it’s high in sodium and saturated fat which can raise blood pressure and blood sugar and increase your risk of heart disease. Choose protein-rich, plant-based foods like lentils, tempeh, tofu, and chickpeas. The nutrients in plant-based proteins can help to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and keep you at a healthy weight.

Eat your fruits and veggies! Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and bok choy have lots of vitamin K which helps to keep the structure of the heart strong. Niacin in leafy greens relaxes arteries and veins which improves blood flow and lowers heart stress. Lots of veggies and fruits such as blueberries, kiwi, oranges, bell peppers, and broccoli contain high amounts of vitamin C. Vitamin C works as an antioxidant in your body which reduces the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

The consumption of whole grains is linked to lowered blood pressure and blood sugar and can shrink your waistline. Eating just 25 grams of whole grains a day reduces the risk of heart disease by about 15%. Swap out the white bread and white rice for wheat bread and brown rice. Try baking with whole meal flour instead of refined white flour and experiment with new grains like quinoa, farro, and millet. And for a double punch of heart-healthy foods, start your day with a bowl of oatmeal topped with some vitamin C-rich blueberries.

Limit your intake of saturated or “bad” fats which come from animal sources like cheese, butter, and fatty meats. Eat lots of foods with omega-3 fatty acids like chia seeds, avocado, and dark chocolate. Taking a plant-based omega-3 supplement is also a great way to get a good dose of healthy fats into your diet.

Avoid foods high in sodium and added sugars and limit your consumption of alcohol. Of course, it’s okay to allow yourself an indulgence now and then. A margarita or a bowl of popcorn won’t completely wreck a healthy diet. What’s important is that you eat healthy foods the majority of the time.

Exercise Regularly

Besides helping to keep you at a healthy weight, regular exercise improves cholesterol levels, reduces blood pressure and inflammation, and improves vascular relaxation. It also reduces mental stress which in turn reduces the amount of stress put on your heart.

Every time you’re physically active, your body releases endorphins, those wonderful mood-boosting chemicals that make you feel happy. Exercise also lowers your body’s production of the stress hormone, cortisol.

Both the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the American Heart Association recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise spread throughout the week.

Some examples of moderate-intensity activities are going for a brisk walk, biking through a flat landscape, dancing, relaxed swimming, and doubles tennis. Examples of vigorous aerobic activity are hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack, jumping rope, cycling at a speed of at least 10mph, singles tennis, swimming laps, and running.

To help keep exercise a part of your daily life, find activities that you enjoy. Even gardening is considered to be a low-intensity aerobic activity!

Healthy Ways to Cope With Stress

A long daily commute, relationship issues, or a heavy workload are just a few of the things that can cause constant stress. Stress has been connected to a multitude of health issues including depression, anxiety, diabetes, and you guessed it…heart problems.

Here are a few things you can do to cope with stress…

Exercise Regularly

We’ve already talked about this a bit so we won’t spend too much time on this one. But studies have shown that exercising regularly, whether it be a leisurely swim or a long high-paced run, releases mood-boosting chemicals and lowers stress. So get moving!

Social Connections

Family and friends are important. Spending time with and talking to people you feel close to and trust can improve mental and physical health by releasing oxytocin, a natural stress-relieving chemical.

Many studies have shown that people with a strong social network live longer and recover fast and more thoroughly after a major health event.

Get More Sleep

Your blood pressure lowers during sleep, allowing your heart to relax just a bit and your body to restore. People who get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night have improved concentration, sharpened judgment, and better decision-making skills, all of which can lead to lower levels of stress.

Unplug and Breathe

Put your phone down and turn off the TV. Take time each day, even just 10 to 15 minutes, to escape from the world and try to completely relax. Listen to music, meditate, pray, or just take deep, slow breaths. Studies show that taking just a few minutes out of your day to sit quietly and just be can lower blood pressure and even cause your brain to release more of those chemicals that make you feel happy and calm and more able to deal with things that might be causing you stress.

Laugh

Laughter has been shown to lower levels of stress hormones, reduce arterial inflammation, and even increase HDL (good) cholesterol by increasing oxygen levels in your body. Laughter also relieves tension by relaxing your muscles and lowering your stress response.

So spend time with people who make you laugh, watch a funny movie, or even learn to laugh at yourself and those silly little mistakes that you’ll inevitably make because you are just an imperfect little human doing your best.

Learn The Signs of Poor Heart Health

You might think that poor heart health is revealed only through a big event like a stroke or a heart attack. But many early signs of an unhealthy heart aren’t so dramatic. Some warning signs of an unhealthy heart don’t even happen in your chest. Heart problems without chest pain are especially common in women.

Learn to identify different signs of a struggling heart and you might just keep yourself from experiencing a dramatic incident that puts you in the hospital.

Chest Discomfort

One of the most common and obvious signifiers of heart danger is chest discomfort, also known as angina. A blocked artery can cause pain, tightness, or pressure in the chest which usually lasts longer than a few minutes. The discomfort may happen when you’re doing something physical or are at rest.

If the pain is very brief or is in a very specific spot that hurts more when it’s touched or pressed, the discomfort is most likely not heart-related.

Shortness of Breath

Breathing is one of those things you don’t notice when you’re doing it properly. But when your breathing becomes labored, it’s suddenly very noticeable.

If you’re not able to breathe efficiently, if your lungs feel suddenly heavy, or if your breath is rapid and shallow you may be having a pulmonary embolism, an arterial blood clot in the lungs. This clot can in turn put increased pressure on the right side of your heart leading to heart failure.

Shortness of breath can happen quickly or over time. While it could be caused by anxiety, anemia, or even allergic reactions, this symptom is more often a sign of heart failure and should always be taken seriously.

Arm Pain

Nerves in the left arm and nerves in the heart can send messages to the same pain centers in the brain. This is why another common heart attack symptom is pain that radiates down the left arm and through the side of the body. Your brain can mistakenly interpret heart trouble as pain originating from this area.

Seek medical attention right away if you have continued pain or pressure in your left arm or shoulder, especially if it’s accompanied by other signs of cardiac distress such as dizziness or shortness of breath.

Feeling Dizzy and/or Lightheaded

Feeling dizzy or lightheaded is usually indicative of a lack of oxygen flowing to the brain, which can lead to a stroke. Dizziness when standing up is a common symptom of heart disease and blood pressure issues. Gravity pulls blood closer to the ground and the heart has to work harder to pump it up toward the head. If the heart is too weak to get the blood moving up to your brain, the ensuing lightheadedness or dizziness may be an early indication that something is wrong.

Swollen Legs, Ankles, or Feet

Another sign that your heart isn’t pumping as effectively as it should be is swollen legs, ankles, or feet. When the heart isn’t working properly, blood flow slows and backs up in the veins in your legs which causes fluid to build up in your tissues.

If the swelling is only on one side or occurs only once, it may have another cause, like a torn muscle or ligament. However, if the swelling regularly comes and goes and often lasts for long periods, it’smost likely caused by a poorly functioning heart.

You Get Exhausted Easily

If you’re staying up late, not sleeping properly, or even working out too hard, chances are you’ll feel exhausted. This is not a sign of heart trouble. But if you start feeling fatigued regularly and your lifestyle hasn’t changed, then it may be a sign of an underlying health issue. This is a good time to have a chat with your GP.

If you find that you’re feeling winded after doing something you had no problem doing before, like taking a short walk or carrying groceries from the car, this may be a sign of oncoming heart failure. Unexplained weakness or fatigue for prolonged periods can be a symptom of heart disease, especially in women.

The Takeaway

Small, healthy lifestyle changes can play a huge role in keeping your heart healthy. Exercising regularly, eating and sleeping well, and managing stress are all key to cardiovascular health. And knowing the signs of an unhealthy heart may just be what keeps you alive another day.