Five Tips to Improve Health
In today's fast-paced world, prioritising our health often takes a backseat to other demands. However, ensuring a healthy heart is fundamental to overall well-being. Join me as I unveil five essential tips to enhance your cardiovascular health and boost your vitality. From the importance of regular exercise to crafting a heart-healthy diet, I'll explore actionable strategies to fortify your heart against disease. Learn how to kick unhealthy habits to the curb, effectively manage stress, and schedule crucial health check-ups. Let's embark on a journey to cultivate a healthier heart and a happier you. Dive into my expert tips and start your path to wellness today!
Regular Exercise Adults should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week to strengthen heart and improve cardiovascular fitness. This can be brisk walking, swimming, dancing, or of course Outdoor Fitness, Fitmix, HIIT and Boxercise.
Heart-Healthy Diet Eat diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Limit saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars. Include heart-healthy fats such as those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil.
Don’t smoke and drink alcohol in moderation Smoking is very harmful to your heart. It seriously increases your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases. Smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely to get heart disease than non-smokers. Drinking too much alcohol can cause abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, damage to the heart muscle and other diseases such as stroke, liver problems and some cancers.
Manage Stress I know, it is easier said than done. Chronic stress can raise blood pressure and contribute to heart problems, so finding healthy ways to manage stress is really important for heart health. Everyone will have different tools in their tool box to help manage stress. It could be anything from a walk in nature, calling a friend or scheduling a massage! Both my Wednesday Wellbeing (online class) and Pilates in the Pub both finish with a guided relaxation, that feels like a hug.
Regular Health Check-ups Lastly, if it has been a while have a check-up! You can get a health check at some pharmacies for a small fee that will include checking blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar. Address any risk factors or health issues promptly to prevent long-term damage to the heart.
I hope this inspires you to think about keeping your heart healthy, this month and beyond!