How to Maintain a Healthy Heart

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and is the number one cause of death in women. The sad part about this is that it could be prevented with a few lifestyle changes. Don't become a statistic; follow the steps below to be on your way to maintaining a healthy heart.

Instructions

1

Eat a healthy diet. Maintain a diet of raw fruits and vegetables, whole-grain, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products and certain types of fish. Stay away from bad fats such as saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fat as much as possible.

2

Exercise regularly. Exercise is key to maintaining a healthy heart. It helps improve heart function and lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol. Exercise about thirty minutes each day, focusing on cardiovascular workouts.

3

Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight will put extra strain on your heart. A certain type of fat, called visceral fat, can develop around your internal organs and cause stress on your heart.

4

Stop smoking. Most people believe that smoking only affects the lungs, but the truth is it also affects your heart. Smoking can increase your levels of "bad cholesterol," weaken the lining in walls of your arteries and cause your arteries to tighten, thus decreasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to other tissues.

5

Lower your salt intake. Eating too much salt can affect how high your blood pressure is and having high blood pressure can damage your cardiovascular system.

6

See a doctor regularly. Seeing your doctor on a regular basis will help greatly with maintaining a healthy heart. Your doctor can help regulate your blood pressure, check your cholesterol levels and even put you on a healthy diet plan.