Heart health is crucial for your overall health and taking easy yet effective steps to look after it can reduce your risk of many preventative heart diseases. Knowing and understanding your numbers, such as cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as blood pressure will help you understand the risks and how to reduce them.
Heart-healthy diets
Wondering how to maintain a healthy heart through your diet? Incorporating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can improve your heart health, and importantly, reduce the risks of issues like heart disease. Some of the most beneficial foods you can eat are:
- Leafy green vegetables: Spinach and kale are rich in minerals, antioxidants and vitamins, such as vitamin K, which helps protect your arteries.
- Whole grains: Foods like whole wheat, brown rice, oats, barley, and quinoa help reduce cholesterol levels in your blood, decreasing the risk of heart disease.
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are high in antioxidants like anthocyanins, which protect against inflammation.
- Fatty fish and fish oil: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, and other fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce blood pressure.
Stay active
Regular physical activity can help you control and maintain a healthy weight, therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. It will also help you understand how to maintain a healthy heart and can strengthen your heart muscle. Aiming for at least:
- 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week: This includes brisk walking, cycling, swimming and even activities like gardening and household chores.
- 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week: Running, jogging, fast-paced cycling or swimming, tennis or HIIT workouts are classed as vigorous.
Quit smoking
Smoking is a one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. Quitting can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease and improve not just your heart health but also your overall well-being. It’s also one of the hardest habits to give up. Things like setting a quit date, understanding and identifying your triggers and telling your family and friends are good aids in quitting, and perfect for how to maintain a healthy heart. We know quitting is difficult, but there is support available, find it here.
Manage stress
Stress can contribute to heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure. There are ways you can manage your stress levels from home, including with techniques like:
- Meditation
- Deep breathing
- Finding relaxing hobbies
There is also professional help available should these techniques not work as well as you need them to. Find out more about our mental health services here.
Limit alcohol intake
Too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure and add extra calories to your diet, which may cause weight gain and add stress on your heart at the same time. Limit your alcohol consumption to moderate levels or less. It is currently recommended that both men and women don’t consume more than 14 units a week. If drinking has become an issue, there are services that can help, click here for more info.
Supporting your heart health
We’re here to support you every step of the way in your journey to a healthier heart. From providing access to healthcare professionals to guiding you through managing your health risks, we’re dedicated to ensuring the well-being of our community.