6 Ways to Support Your Heart Health

Your heart powers your body. If you fail to give your heart the support it needs, it’ll fail you, too. Around 1 million women and men die from cardiovascular diseases in the United States every year. In fact, cardiovascular diseases kill more people than all forms of cancer and accidents combined. 

That’s the bad news. The good news is that as long as your heart is still pumping, you can make changes that make it easier for this organ to do its job. A strong, healthy heart increases your chances for a long, healthy life.

Our experienced cardiologists at Advanced Medical Care encourage you to optimize your heart health. At our offices in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, we diagnose and treat cardiovascular issues and disease. We also offer heart screenings, including stress tests, to make sure your heart is healthy. 

How can you support your heart health? Here’s a quick list you can start on today.

1. Get up and move

Right now. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably been sitting in front of your laptop or smartphone for a while. Get up and stretch. Walk around.

One of the best things you can do for your heart is to move and exercise. In addition to movement breaks every 30-60 minutes, the American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Break it up into activities you love, such as:

• Fast walking
• Stair climbing
• Dancing
• Jogging 
• Swimming
• Water aerobics

If you’d like more intensity and less time for your work out, do vigorous exercise for 75 minutes per week. Also make sure you add in two days per week of resistance training. 

2. Ditch the poisons

You know you shouldn’t smoke. At all. You know you shouldn’t drink much (or at all). If the need to quit seemed too abstract before, tie it to your heart. Both alcohol and smoking stress your heart and make it work harder than it should. In fact, no amount of alcohol is safe for your heart or your health. 

Avoid sugar as much as possible, too. Diets high in sugar raise your risk for diabetes, which can damage your blood vessels. They also raise your risk for a fatal cardiovascular event. 

3. Feed your heart well

Your heart loves nutrient-rich foods that provide it with the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it needs to thrive. Luckily, nutrient-rich foods are also among the most flavorful — once you wean yourself from sugar- and salt-laden ultraprocessed foods. 

Stop eating these foods

• Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, including in beverages like soft drinks
• Simple carbohydrates, like bread and pasta
• Junk food, fast food, and ultra-processed foods and meats

Start eating these foods

• Salmon 
• Walnuts
• Blueberries
• Brussels sprouts
• Olives and olive oil

These recommended foods have been shown to lower your risk for cardiovascular disease. 

4. Lose weight

Being obese or overweight stresses your heart. If you need help losing weight healthfully and permanently, we recommend medically supervised weight loss. We may even prescribe medications to help you reach your goal weight faster.

5. Stress less, sleep better

Chronic stress is bad for your heart. If you’re living in stressful conditions, or if you worry a lot, try to give yourself breaks by:

• Meditating
• Taking a walk
• Doing deep breathing exercises
• Spending time with friends

De-stressing isn’t wasting time, it’s giving your cardiovascular system a chance to relax so your blood can flow more freely and oxygenate your body. One of the best ways to de-stress — and to nourish your body and heart — is to get enough sleep at night.

Adults need 7-9 hours of restful sleep per night. And “restful” is the key. If you have insomnia, if you sleep fitfully, or if you snore enough to wake yourself up, you may need sleep medicine to help you — and your heart — get the rest you need.

6. Get tested

Don’t leave your heart’s health to chance. Find out where your heart stands today with tests designed to evaluate the health of your cardiovascular system. If we identify any issues, we then design a treatment plan to help you and your heart thrive.

To learn more about your heart’s health through screening or to get help with chest pain or other cardiovascular issues, contact Advanced Medical Care  at the location convenient to you.