5 Tips to Take Control of Your Heart Health

Heart health is important for longevity and overall well-being. Follow these 5 tips to make sure you are doing the most that you can for your heart!

Did you know your heart creates enough energy every day to drive a truck 20 miles? Your heart is an amazing organ. Each day, each moment, it’s pumping blood to every cell in your body, ensuring every part of your body gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs to survive.

Help keep your heart healthy and working its best with these five tips:

1. Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day.

Regular exercise, even just 30 minutes, can help reduce your risk of heart disease. If you can’t get in 30 minutes of consecutive exercise, try for three sessions of 10 minutes. The important thing is getting some exercise in each day—-even some movement is better than none. Always talk with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

2. Maintain a healthy weight.

Excess weight, especially around the middle, can increase your chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. To determine if you’re at a healthy weight, calculate your body mass index (BMI), which compares your height and weight and determines if you have a healthy percentage of body fat.

3. Get your sleep in.

Sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on your health. Most adults need to get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. If you’re missing out on getting those hours, you can increase your risk of heart attack, diabetes and depression. Ensure you get your sleep in by setting a sleep schedule and keeping your room dark and quiet.

4. Track your eating habits.

Take a moment to keep a journal of what you are eating each day (try to do this for about a four to six weeks). Writing down what you’re eating you can evaluate better what good and bad eating habits you have and where you need to make healthier choices. As you keep your journal, write down the following: what times you ate, what you ate, portion sizes and add notes about what you were feeling.

5. Reduce your sugar intake.

According to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, most adults in the U.S. consume around 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day, which is three times the recommended amount. The American Heart Association recommends women get no more than six teaspoons of sugar each day and men get no more than nine teaspoons.