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Nearly half of American adults have something wrong with their heart. Dealing with heart disease has become the norm for many people, but there are things you can do to have a healthier heart.
If you are worried you have a weak heart and you’re trying to figure out how to strengthen a weak heart, you’re not alone. Many people, just like you, wake up and find out they have heart problems and have to start working toward a healthier lifestyle. Some people even need surgery and other help to get them back on track.
Continue reading this article to learn more about improving heart health
Giving Your Heart What It Needs
Before you can start working on a healthy heart, it’s important to understand how it works. It might be scary to think about how fragile the heart can be. This organ is one of the vital parts of keeping us alive and using this helpful link, you can learn how it works.
Prevention Is the Best Choice
If you don’t have anything wrong with your heart then it’s wise to work on prevention. Many people opt to eat what they want, when they want, not take care of their heart and think they’re going to live forever.
While you can still come back from serious challenges with your heart, that doesn’t mean you should let things get that bad.
Move Your Body
It is so easy for us to stay seated all day working away at our computers. The human body wasn’t built to sit and work for hours. The human body was built to get up, move, work with your hands, and get the blood pumping.
Sometimes you are going to have to sit at your desk for hours on end, but there are some things you can do to make it less problematic for you.
Even if your job consists of a lot of sitting, you can make a choice to stand up and doing some steps at your desk. Exercise gives your body many health benefits from controlling weight, helping your heart, improving your fat to muscle ratio, and much more.
You should get some cardio in, do some strength training, and let’s not forget stretching. These things are extremely important for your body’s health and wellness.
Get the Weight Off
The higher your weight is, the more you risk plaque build-up and a heart attack. Being heavier than you need to be is linked to multiple health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.
If you’re obese, this can lead to heart failure, which means the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. The worst fat that you can have is belly fat.
Why is belly fat so bad? Belly fat is bad because it pumps out chemicals that trigger inflammation in the body and inflammation is thought to be one of the biggest things that cause serious problems in your body.
The best way to shed these pounds is through a healthy diet and exercise. Your goal is to get your body mass index between 18.5 and 25. If your BMI is 30 or above, you are obese. Another good measure is to get your waist circumference to less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches in men.
Say No to Unhealthy Habits
If you smoke or drink alcohol, these could cause major problems with your heart. If you only look at how smoking affects your body, it’s an absolute nightmare.
You might deal with such things as:
- Breathing problems
- Heart disease
- Lung cancer
- Kidney cancer
And there is plenty more where that comes from.
If you look at drinking alcohol, if you drink more than 3 alcoholic drinks per day, you’re putting serious toxins in your body that could lead to heart problems. Drinking alcohol is even linked to cancer.
Work On Optimal Blood Pressure
The higher your blood pressure is, the greater risk of heart disease there is. Let’s not forget about possible strokes, congestive heart failure, impotence, and more.
Your blood pressure needs to be below 120/80 for the best results. Even readings of 130/80 can mean there are potentially serious and life-threatening conditions lurking.
To lower your blood pressure, the best thing you can do is focus on a healthy lifestyle. Before you hop on pills that your doctor recommends, see if you can get your blood pressure down by getting your weight under control.
Reduce Inflammation
Most of the reasons people have problems with inflammation are due to poor lifestyle choices. Inflammation leads to the formation of fatty streaks in the arteries. These fatty streaks can lead to plaque build-up, strokes, and heart attacks.
Work on those healthy habits like eating fruits and vegetables. Work on a healthier lifestyle and many of these problems, like inflammation, will fall in line.
Work on Decreasing Stress Levels
Stress might seem like a normal part of daily life, but it shouldn’t overtake our lives. When you feel too much stress, it can affect our blood pressure and cause many other problems in our bodies.
When you’re feeling stress, it is likely you’ll start taking up bad habits like smoking and other things that are detrimental to your health.
How to Strengthen a Weak Heart – Now You Know
Now you have the information you need to know how to strengthen a weak heart. Use one or all of these tips to set yourself on the pathway to a healthier heart.
Do you feel like you need more help in the health arena? Continue through our blog for the help you need.
