Healthy Heart for Life…even little steps may make a big difference.

To improve your heart health, you do not have to make big changes to have an effect on your heart health. Even small, basic healthy heart habits can have significant effects.

One of the biggest ways to reduce heart disease risk happens when you go from living a sedentary lifestyle to being active for as little as one hour a week. As you age, your body slows down in burning calories (metabolism). If you decrease activities as you age, but continue to eat the same as usual, you’ll gain weight. To maintain a healthy weight and heart, stay active and eat healthy.

To maintain a healthy weight and heart:

• Include 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine. Regular moderate physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and heart.
• Eat a healthy diet. Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high-fiber foods and lean sources of protein, such as fish.
• Limit sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed and fried foods, alcohol and foods high in sodium and saturated fat.
• Watch your portion sizes. To cut calories, keep an eye on your portion sizes.

Walking

Walking is a great way to exercise and is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. And, it can be done almost anywhere.

The American Heart Association encourages Americans to do regular physical activity as it’s an important part of improving your heart health. Walking regularly is a great option and has many health benefits beyond your heart.  

Walking has been proven to: 

• Help manage weight, blood pressure and cholesterol 
• Reduce your risk of developing some cancers 
• Maintain your bone density, reducing your risk of osteoporosis and fractures 
• Improve balance and coordination, reducing your risk of falls and injuries. 

Top tips for walking 

• Start slowly and don’t push yourself too hard. Start with walking 5-10 minutes a day and build up slowly to 30 minutes over several weeks.  
• Begin with easy walking on ground that is flat. Walk at a comfortable pace. You should be able to talk without feeling short of breath. If you don’t feel well enough to walk one day, let your body rest. It is ok to miss walking that day.  
• Begin with a goal, such as walking to the local shop or around the block. As you start to feel better and fitter, increase the intensity so you start to ‘puff’ a little.
• Remember to warm up and cool down for the first and last 5 minutes of your session.
• Warming up is important to stop you from getting injured. Cooling down reduces your heart rate slowly.  

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time.

“A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery,” says Eric Salvador, NASM, NSCA, head instructor at The Fhitting Room in New York City.  “This afterburn effect is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.”

Lifting weights and resistance training

Lifting weights and resistance training improves your muscle mass and strength. Always speak to your doctor before starting any muscle strengthening exercises.

• You can improve your strength at home by lifting light weights.
• You can also lift your body weight by doing exercises such as lunges, squats or pushups.
• Start slowly and build up gradually.  
• Start with 10 repetitions of a light weight that you can lift easily. You can increase this gradually over time until you reach 20 repetitions.  

You should breathe normally when lifting weights or doing other lifting activities. Never hold your breath when you’re lifting weights, even light ones. The strain of lifting weights can raise your blood pressure. 

Mayo Clinic has developed a Healthy Heart Plan based on “Eat 5, Move 10, Sleep 8”. Here’s a summary of the Mayo Clinic’s Healthy Heart Plan’s:

• Eat 5. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to boost your heart health. Make a conscious effort to include fruits and vegetables in your daily meals. Focus on getting five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
• Move 10. Add at least 10 minutes of moderately intense physical activity to what you do every day. Although it is recommended to include physical activity for 30 minutes or more a day, 10 minutes of exercise daily makes a difference.
  For example, studies have found just 60 to 90 minutes a week of physical activity can reduce your heart disease risk by up to 50 percent. That’s a big benefit from a pretty small commitment. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — take the stairs, take a walk, just get moving. As you become more active, you can increase your total amount of activity each day.
• Sleep 8. Quality sleep is good for your heart. It can be a challenge to make time for good sleep, but it’s important. Try to get eight hours of good, quality sleep each night. Each person’s sleep needs vary slightly, but eight is a good number to shoot for.

It is essential to get started with healthy heart habits and keep at it.

References:

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20046070
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/expert-answers/healthy-heart/faq-20057842
3. https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/high-intensity-hiit-workout/#:~:text=HIIT%2C%20or%20high-intensity%20interval%20training%2C%20is%20a%20training,up%20and%20burns%20more%20fat%20in%20less%20time.