Seeing as February is Heart Month it seems that for once we should take our attention away from more superficial reasons to workout and remember the true reasoning behind it all: overall wellness. Although cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death among men and women in the United States, it feels as though sometimes we completely forget to acknowledge our heart’s health. Here are some top ways to refocus your energy on maintaining a healthy, beating heart!
Cardio: Keeping your heart pumping as you run, jump, or swim will help your heart build up strength as endurance. As the heart pumps more blood as you’re working out, the blood vessels stretch, allowing larger volumes of blood to pass through and helping you to avoid any possible artery blockages.
Quit Smoking: As if the constant commercials weren’t enough to bombard you into quitting, here’s our attempt to convince you to quit as well. Smoking damages your blood vessels, which keeps blood flow from pumping efficiently. Without a steady stream of blood flow, you raise your chances of heart disease.
Keeping a Healthy Weight: Staying in a healthy weight range affects your heart way more than you realize. If you’re on the heavier side, your heart will have to work twice as hard to pump. Straining your heart in this way can cause you to lessen your heart’s lifespan. Just losing even 10 pounds can have a significantly positive effect on your heart’s performance.
Keep your heart happy and healthy by exercising, maintaing a healthy weight, and quitting smoking if you haven’t already!