Heart Health Hacks for People of All Ages

We all want to better our hearts and keep our cardiovascular systems as healthy as can be. However, sometimes, it can feel that it’s easier said than done. 

Leafy greens are incredibly important for your overall health, as your body naturally feels better when you consistently eat them. Because these types of greens are so beneficial, you should eat them daily.   

When you’re cooking, it’s common to use different types of oils. However, some oils are better than others. For example, using margarine, butter, or coconut oil when you cook could harm your heart in the long run.

While our bodies do need sodium to stay healthy, there is a thing as too much sodium. If you eat a lot of salted foods, such as salted meat, canned meats, salted nuts, canned foods, and even pizza, it’s best to cut back as much as you can.

Eating healthy fruits and vegetables on a daily basis can help give your entire body a boost. Specifically, eating foods that have plant sterols, a natural compound found in many plants, can help lower your risk of heart problems.

If the American Heart Association recommends that everybody should limit their intake of added sugars, then it’s probably smart to listen to their advice. Unfortunately, added sugar has been linked to heart disease.   

For every benefit alcohol has, it also seems to have a negative. For example, many studies have been conducted that show that a glass of red wine a night can help reduce the risk of heart disease. However, many other studies have shown that drinking red wine can still be harmful to your health. 

While some sweets — such as those with added sugars — can be quite harmful to your heart, dark chocolate has been proven to be great, as it can lower your risk of heart disease.

Herbal tea has long been said to have ample health benefits attached to it. For example, ginger tea is often said to help with digestion. Hibiscus tea has been shown to be helpful to your heart, as it contains antioxidants.

Steer clear of eating white bread. Instead, switch to only eating whole grains. Whole grains are much healthier options and have a ton of benefits attached to them. For example, eating whole grains can help you lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol. 

Stress is never good for your body or your health if it’s constant. It’s definitely not good for your heart. If you’re stressed often, you could even get broken heart syndrome, which occurs when a person’s stress weakens their heart muscle.

We all know how important daily, consistent exercise is. So, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that exercising often can greatly help your heart.

In your day-to-day life, you can also do little things that will help out your heart in the long run. For example, if you have the option to take the stairs, do so.

To keep your heart healthy, you should always try to sleep around seven to eight hours each night. Sleeping is incredibly beneficial for your overall health, and it can help prepare you for the day ahead.

Your body doesn’t work properly when you’re dehydrated. If you’ve ever been dehydrated, you know how terrible this can feel. Health experts have long said that we need to drink an accurate amount of water every single day to stay healthy.