How To Maintain A Healthy Heart At Any Age

Even though heart health isn’t something we think about when we’re young, the truth is, cardiovascular disease is the number one health risk of women in Canada and worldwide. It’s never too early or too late to reduce your risk of heart disease. Making smart health choices all through our lives pays big rewards in the long term when it comes to heart health. So what are the top 3 things you can do at any age to give your heart a head start?

Exercise

I bet you saw this one coming, right? We’ve heard plenty of evidence about the benefits of exercise on virtually every aspect of health—especially heart health. Regardless of your age and stage, consider how to make daily movement a part of your routine. Don’t put this off, choosing to believe there will be a better time later to fit in exercise. The time is now.

Nutrition

There is no denying the effect of food on the heart. Foods high in omega-3s, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, as well as nuts and seeds reduce inflammation—the blood vessel damaging condition which can lead to heart troubles. Plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and fibre also support the heart by controlling blood sugar levels and reducing blood pressure.

Stress

It’s amazing how many people will read about the importance of managing stress and skim right over it, assuming they can’t control the stress in their lives. It’s true that stress is not going away, and no matter our age, some new challenge or difficulty will always present itself. But the key is not to eliminate the source of stress, but to find healthy ways to deal with it in our bodies. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or anything that tells your brain to decrease the production of stress hormones.

Developing these habits when we are young will do wonders for our heart health over the decades, but remember, even if you’re in your 60’s, 70’s and beyond, your heart will always benefit from implementing these key tips