Tips For a Healthy Heart For Cardiovascular Health
For most of us the idea that one day we would be searching for tips for a healthy heart seems almost laughable, but here we are. The truth is that all those years of partying and eating high fat/high cholesterol foods has made us realize that a healthy heart doesn’t happen by accident, and as we now start to enter the homestretch of life some changes need to made.
In this article we will cover some tips you may already know along with a few new ones that may not have come across your radar screen yet. But before we get started I would like to tell a quick story that drives home the point that not all people accept all tips for a healthy heart in the same way.
It probably has been 6 months or so since my wife and I were out to dinner. We were seated in the booth next to a loud talking man who was irate about what his cardiologist has told him during his doctors visit about considering fish oil supplements. In fact, he was so mad that he was considering changing doctors. Apparently all the medical professional did was suggest he take 900 mg of DHA/EPA (fatty acids) daily while cutting back slightly on his prescription cholesterol lowering drugs. Now for me at least, this is the kind of doctor that I want looking out for me, one that stays current on new ideas and new facts. His doctor had probably read about the mounting side effect risks of statins and the new research suggesting that fish oil or fish consumed twice a week might be able to help with heart and artery disease.
In the world of medicine things are always changing, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst, so really our first tip for a healthy heart is to make sure your physician is staying abreast of the latest research and is constantly striving to provide you with new and better solutions. Next why don’t we move on to some more concrete ideas.
*Eat right: Eating right and snacking better are two very important ideas for heart health. You should seek out foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in soluble fiber. Reducing salt or sodium couldn’t hurt either.
*Stay active: As you age your heart starts to lose it pumping power weakening over time. Unless you stay active by age 80 your heart will have lost half of its pumping power.
*Weight gain can be risky: Packing on the pounds, especially around the waistline increases a person’s risk for heart and artery disease.
*Run don’t walk away from cigarette smoke: Smokers are four time more likely to have a heart attack than non smokers. Those exposed regularly to second hand smoke are twice as likely.
*Supplementation for a healthy heart: The three supplements most often mentioned for a healthy heart are the B vitamins 6 and 12, omega 3 fish oil at a dosage of around 800 mg (DHA/EPA daily), and cholesterol reduction supplements to help your body eliminate any excess cholesterol thus keeping heart arteries free from plaque.
