Most of us know that a good diet and a healthy exercise regimen is a great way to keep your heart it’s healthiest. What other things can you do in conjunction with these things, though, so that you can keep your heart its strongest? In the following article, we will discuss five things that are key to your health. Incorporating these habits into your everyday life won’t allow you to have a healthy heart for a long time coming.
EAT HEALTHY FATS
Fats in our diet is something you cannot skimp on. The best kinds of fats to incorporate include saturated and polyunsaturated fat. One fat we definitely don’t need in our diet is trans fat. Trans fat is known to increase your risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke over a lifetime. Trans fat clogs your arteries by raising bad cholesterol levels and lowering good cholesterol levels. Trans fats are industry produce fats that are used in packaged fake goods, snack foods, margarine, and fast foods to add both flavor and texture.
PRACTICE GOOD DENTAL HYGIENE
Many people may not know this, but good dental hygiene is directly related to having a healthy heart and keeping heart disease far away. By keeping up with a good dental routine, you avoid the risk of obtaining something called periodontal disease. The simple term for periodontal disease is gum disease, which if left untreated, can result in heart disease.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Sleeping is another essential part of keeping your heart healthy as those that don’t get enough sleep are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease no matter what age you are. One study that looked at 3000 adults over the age of 45 and found that those who slept less than 6 hours a night or twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack when compared to test subjects that slept 6 to 8 hours a night.
DON’T SIT FOR TOO LONG!
It’s no secret that staying seated for long periods of time is bad for your health. For those that have to sit at sedentary jobs all day, this can be something that is unavoidable. However, by moving throughout the day, parking further away from your office, taking short walks throughout the day, and using a standing workstation can help you from sitting too long.
AVOID SECONDHAND SMOKE
For those that are exposed to secondhand smoke on the daily are found to risk of developing heart disease. Exposure to tobacco smoke can contribute to premature heart disease death and lung cancer death. Even non-smokers that have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol have a greater risk developing heart disease when exposed to secondhand smoke.
If you have more questions about how to stay healthy, and what to do in an incident in which you’re experiencing an emergency, we at Post Oak ER in Post Oak, TX, are ready and willing to help you in a moment’s notice. Give us a call or visit us at our clinic today.
