How to Look After Your Heart Health

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Your heart is the engine of your body. From the moment you take your first breath to the last beat of your life, your heart tirelessly works to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout your body, fuelling every cell, tissue, and organ with the vital nutrients needed for survival. It is crucial for sustaining life, and it is why taking care of your heart health is so important for a long and fulfilling life.

The consequences of neglecting cardiovascular health can be dire, with heart disease remaining the leading cause of death globally. This reality underscores the need to put a spotlight on the importance of looking after your heart health. You are never too old or young to begin taking care of your heart, and the younger you begin making healthy choices, the longer you will be able to reap the benefits.

This blog will talk about the importance of keeping your heart healthy, ways to keep your heart healthy, the importance of good nutrition on heart health, the benefits of a healthy heart, and will also detail how to perform CPR if the worst ever happens.

The Importance of Keeping Your Heart Healthy

A healthy heart reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, and promotes vitality and longevity. Doing regular physical activity is one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy, and reduces your risk of heart disease. A study by Nystoriak and Bhatnagar¹ concluded that frequent exercise is robustly associated with a decrease in cardiovascular mortality as well as the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Things that put you at higher risk for heart disease include:

Smoking
High blood pressure
Obesity/being overweight
High cholesterol levels
Inactivity (no exercise)
Family history of heart disease (especially a parent or sibling)

Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

There any many ways you can keep your heart healthy, including:

Regular Exercise

To stay healthy, the UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines, state that adults should try to be active every day and aim to do at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week, through a variety of activities².

Incorporate a variety of exercises into your routine, including aerobic activities like walking, running, swimming, cycling, and dancing, as well as strength training exercises. Aim for consistency by scheduling workouts throughout the week, gradually increasing intensity and duration as your fitness level improves.

As well as this, one of the many ways that exercise is good for your heart is because exercise boosts the amount of blood circulating through your body by up to 25%, which, over time, encourages blood vessels to expand slightly and become more flexible. Exercise also spurs the production of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels³.

Exercise not only improves heart health, but mental health too. Check out our blog HERE to read about how exercise benefits your mental health.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Having excess weight or obesity can contribute a slow build-up of a fatty substance (called atheroma) in your arteries⁴. This narrows the space for blood to flow. When arteries can’t deliver enough blood to the heart or the brain it can cause heart and circulatory diseases.

Obesity strains the heart and increases the risk of heart disease. Aim for a balanced diet and regular exercise to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Focus on achieving a healthy weight through a combination of balanced, calorie controlled nutrition and regular physical activity. Berberine can help with your weight loss goals, and this natural plant extract has been shown to positively impact blood sugar levels, balance blood pressure, support healthy weight loss and promotes a healthier heart!

Set realistic weight loss goals and track your progress over time, aiming for gradual, sustainable changes rather than quick fixes. Seek support from a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian to develop a personalised nutrition plan that promotes weight loss and heart health. Check out our blog HERE about how strength training can help with weight loss.

Quit Smoking

The chemicals you inhale when you smoke cause damage to your heart and blood vessels that makes you more likely to develop atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries⁵. This can even be the case if you inhale secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke is the smoke breathed out when someone smokes or the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, pipe, or other tobacco product. It can damage the heart and blood vessels of people who don’t smoke in the same ways that smoking causes damage to people who do.

Quit smoking now and you'll see fast results. Just 20 minutes after you stop, your blood pressure and heart rate go down. In 2 to 3 weeks, your blood flow starts to get better. Your odds of heart disease will go down, too⁶. After a year without cigarettes, you're half as likely to get it as you were when you smoked. After 5 years, it's about the same as someone who never lit up.

Manage Stress

Chronic stress can contribute to heart disease. When you are stressed out, you are more likely to turn to unhealthy habits such as smoking, eating unhealthy food, and drinking too much alcohol. As well as this, you may be unmotivated to be physically active and prefer to lounge on the couch instead. These things may temporarily reduce your stress, however, if you do too much of them in the long run, it can damage your heart health.

Practice stress-reducing techniques like meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, or engaging in hobbies. Incorporate stress-reducing activities into your daily routine, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, or progressive muscle relaxation. Also, our R-ALA Capsules acts as an antioxidant that helps to reduce oxidative stress, contributing to normal glucose metabolism and regenerating cellular antioxidant levels.

Get Quality Sleep

Sleep is essential for the body to recuperate. During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages, the heart rate slows, blood pressure drops and breathing stabilises. These changes reduce stress on the heart, and allow it to recover from strain that occurs during waking hours.

If a person doesn’t get sufficient nightly sleep and doesn’t spend enough time in the NREM stage of sleep, it can affect the heart. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to numerous heart problems, and a study showed that people that slept less than 7 hours per night were at an increased risk of heart disease⁷.

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to allow your heart to rest and rejuvenate. Creating a relaxing bedtime routine can help signal to your body that it's time to wind down, such as taking a warm bath, reading a book, or practising relaxation techniques.

If you are finding it hard to doze off, why not try our Ashwagandha KSM-66 supplements which supports emotional balance, relaxation, and general wellbeing. As well as this, our ZMA Capsules contain magnesium which helps regulate sleep and helps with anxiety, which can help you get more recovery in the all-important after dark hours. Magnesium also helps with blood pressure, heart rhythm, and blood glucose levels.

The Importance of Good Nutrition on Heart Health

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in heart health. A heart-healthy diet may help reduce cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of diabetes and help you maintain a healthy weight. Cutting down on processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, sweets, pies and pastries and increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption can reduce your saturated fat intake.

According to the BDA (The Association of UK Dieticians), replacing saturated fat with moderate amounts of monounsaturated fat (e.g. olive oil, avocado) and polyunsaturated fat (e.g. fish, nuts) can also reduce harmful cholesterol. Eating more high fibre foods such as whole grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables help lower heart disease risk. They also help to fill you up which can be helpful if you are trying to lose weight⁸.

Omega-3s are fatty acids that help to keep your heart healthy. We cannot naturally produce omega-3, so it must be obtained through our diet. Omega-3s may slightly lower blood pressure, lower levels of fats called triglycerides in the body and lower the risk of irregular heartbeats. A study has found that omega-3 fish oil supplements such as our Omega-3 Softgels lowered the risk for heart attack and death from coronary heart disease⁹.

Whether it is your morning pick-me-up, afternoon energy-boost or your daily caffeine fix, drinking coffee is surprisingly good for your heart health. Research by the British Heart Foundation¹⁰ suggested that drinking coffee is associated with lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s. Furthermore, according to a study by the American College of Cardiology, drinking two to three cups a day is associated with the lowest risk of arrhythmias, blockages in the heart’s arteries, stroke or heart failure regardless of whether people had ground or instant coffee¹¹.

If you prefer to take your caffeine in the form of pre-workout, give our ABE Ultimate Pre-Workout a try! It delivers a unique blend of the most vital and researched active ingredients known to help increase physical performance, reduce tiredness and fatigue, and provides continual focus throughout your training, maximising your body's potential.

Benefits of a Healthy Heart

There are many benefits of having a healthy heart:

Longevity: A healthy heart can add years to your life, allowing you to enjoy more precious moments with loved ones.

Enhanced Quality of Life: A strong heart promotes vitality, energy, and physical endurance, enabling you to participate in activities you love.

Reduced Risk of Disease: A healthy heart lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and other health complications, improving overall well-being.

Better Mental Health: Physical health and mental health are interconnected. A healthy heart contributes to improved mood, cognitive function, and overall mental well-being.

Lower Blood Pressure: When you take care of yourself and monitor your blood pressure, you reduce the risk of hypertension and heart failure.

How to Perform CPR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a life-saving technique used in emergencies when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Follow these basic steps from the British Heart Foundation:

How to do CPR on an adult in 5 steps:

Check for a response. Firmly shake the person’s shoulders and loudly ask if they’re okay.
Call 999. If the person is unconscious and not breathing, or not breathing normally, start CPR.
If there is someone with you, ask them to find a defibrillator.
Start chest compressions. With the heel of your hand in the centre of their chest, press down smoothly and firmly at a rate of 2 per second. Try pushing to the beat of Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush, or Don’t Stop Movin’ by S Club.
Use a defibrillator as soon as you can. Follow its instructions carefully while you continue to give CPR.

In conclusion, the importance of prioritising heart health cannot be overstated. It serves as the cornerstone of overall well-being and longevity. By recognising the critical role of cardiovascular health and embracing proactive measures to maintain it, individuals can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and enhance their quality of life.

As we navigate life, the fundamental significance of looking after our hearts is not to be underestimated. Through disciplined lifestyle choices, including regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and stress management, we can fortify our cardiovascular systems and mitigate the potential risks associated with heart-related conditions. Applied Nutrition is here to help you every step of the way, whether you want to lose weight, increase your endurance or build a healthy heart.

As we reflect on the myriad benefits of a healthy heart—longevity, vitality, mental well-being, and more—it becomes abundantly clear that our cardiovascular health is not merely a matter of chance but a conscious choice. It is a choice to embrace a lifestyle of wellness, characterised by mindful nourishment, regular physical activity, and emotional resilience.

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By Shannon Gaskell

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