Heart Health – How to have a healthy heart – Part 1 – Exercise

Although we can live without our spleens or with only one kidney, we cannot live without our hearts.  That is why we need to take care of them.  Heart health begins early in childhood, and is about adopting a healthy lifestyle overall.  What follows, in the next several posts, are some ideas to have a healthy heart, and help prevent the development of heart disease.

Don’t be sedentary -  Television, computers, video games, and so forth are great, but they have resulted in a sedentary population.  You need to get more active to keep your heart healthy.  Regular exercise of thirty to sixty minutes at least three times per week  is beneficial for heart health.  If you live in a cold climate, and can’t exercise outside for most months of the year, consider joining a gym or even exercising on a treadmill in your home.  I personally prefer exercising outside whenever I can or as part of a team sport, but when I can’t do that, I use my home treadmill that I have purposefully set up in front of my TV and stereo.  If I am entertained by an interesting television show or by good music, the workout goes much more quickly!  And do not forget that any kind of exercise counts such as using the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away in a parking lot, taking the dog for a walk, and so forth.  The best benefits, however, come with more vigorous exercise (you will want to check with your doctor if you are planning on starting a vigorous exercise program).  The reason exercise is so important is because it helps you lose weight or maintain your weight.  By doing this, you also lessen the chances of developing other problems associated with unhealthy weights such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.  Even if your weight is in a healthy range, exercise will still lessen the chances of developing these latter three conditions/diseases.  Another great benefit of exercise is it is a way to relieve stress in your life.  Constant stress can be detrimental to your heart health.

In Part 2 of this series, we will discuss why quitting smoking is beneficial for a healthy heart.