The typical American lifestyle includes a highly toxic diet and an alarming lack of physical activity — two things that are critical for heart health. With exercise being something we rarely engage in, the increasing level of inactivity we’ve become accustomed to is having a negative impact on our health. Many diseases can be attributed to our sedentary lifestyle and toxic diet. In fact, according to reports, 250,000 deaths per year in the United States can be attributed to a lack of regular physical activity.
Movement and at least a decent diet that includes whole foods and supplementation are vital for the health of your heart.
Incorporating the proper diet, exercise, and supplements into your life can be enough to get your heart in healthy shape and prevent your risk factors for disease later on. Continue reading to find out how you can start taking action for your heart health right away.
Diet
When it comes to heart health, the most important key of all is your diet. You may not be able to change much about genetics, but you can always make changes to your diet that will improve your health and prevent disease.
Experts have been shedding light on the benefits of following a Paleo diet, which includes nutrient-rich foods like animals fats and cholesterol. The Paleo diet reduces the overly processed, refined, toxic-laden foods that most people are consuming on a regular basis. By switching to the Paleo diet, you’ll eliminate these harmful foods and allow your body to finally be able to absorb and utilize the nutrients you feed it. Done correctly, this healthy way of eating can also prevent heart disease and help decrease the common issue of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL-P).
For some people who struggle with insulin/leptin resistance, the proper dietary changes can improve the problem. Globally recognized Paleo nutrition leader, Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac says that in order to improve insulin and leptin sensitivity, and decrease LDL-P, he usually recommends a low-carb paleo diet that also promotes weight loss. He suggests incorporating carbohydrates in the form of fruits and starchy vegetables, aiming for a daily amount of between 50-100 grams of these healthy carbs.
Monosaturated Fats
When choosing your meals, try to aim for more monosaturated fats than saturated ones. For example, olives, olive oil, and avocados are all sources of monosaturated fats. These help increase HDL, lower LDL and triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and possibly reduce the occurrence of heart disease.
Be sure to include spices and herbs like garlic into your diet. Not only will it add pleasant flavor to your meals, but garlic may help lower blood pressure.
Physical Activity
Since exercise helps keep blood pressure under control, promotes healthy weight or weight loss, return of insulin sensitivity, and promotes overall vascular health, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the best things you can do for your heart health. In fact, exercise alone has been shown to lower LDL particle concentration.
Jumping rope is a favored exercise for its ability target almost every muscle in the body, build strength, endurance, and even lose weight, but it also helps build heart health.
Aerobics is another highly beneficial type of exercise for cardiovascular health.
According to the Jump Rope Institute, just five minutes a day can improve overall physical fitness, but it also reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and premature death.
Studies have shown that those who are more active tend to develop coronary heart disease less than those who live a more sedentary lifestyle. Often times even people with heart disease can still reap benefits of exercise, like aerobics for example.
Jumping rope is a double-edged sword when it comes to heart health since it keeps you fit and your weight under control — Just ten minutes of jumping may burn up to 100 calories, and we all know that a healthy weight is important for a healthy heart — high body fat is a contributor to bad heart health, so by jumping rope, you maintain a healthy weight and — at the same time.
150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week is recommended by The American College of Sports Medicine. So get a dose of childhood fun and start jumping rope. Jumping jacks are another great exercise if you don’t own a jump rope. 10 minute sessions throughout the day make this an easy exercise to stick with.
The US Surgeon General recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily.
Supplements
Omega-3
The omega-3 fatty acids EPA, and DHA, which are found in cold-water fatty fish can do wonders for cardiovascular health, including preventing plaque from building in your arteries. Omega-3 fatty acids, fish, and fish oil were shown to reduce all-cause mortality and various cardiovascular disease outcomes such as sudden death, cardiac death, and myocardial infarction, according to the National Institutes of Health.
CoQ10
Since oxidative damage is a contributing factor in heart disease, it’s important to include antioxidants into your diet. Organ and red meats are rich sources of the powerful antioxidant CoQ10.
Supplementing with CoQ10 is also a way you can be sure to get plenty of it.
CoQ10 may also lower blood pressure even without medication, although studies have shown that people who combine heart failure medications alongside this supplement often feel better day to day. It’s also been said that taking a CoQ10 supplement can help counteract the negative side effects of the cholesterol lowering statin drugs.
If you choose to use a CoQ10 supplement, aim for one that includes black pepper (piperine) in the ingredients as it helps with proper absorption.
By incorporating the tools listed here into your daily life, you can begin working your way to a healthy, well-protected heart.
About the Author
Julio Yacub is the president of Green Organic Supplements, Inc. Green Organic Supplements has become one of the renowned producers of supplements with the best ingredients, the right extract potencies, and ingredient in perfect synergy. Green Organic supplements has become synonymous of excellence with a philosophy of care in mind, founded on quality and control, something very difficult to achieve and practice.
Sources:
Exercise effects on lipids in persons with varying dietary patterns-does diet matter if they exercise? Responses in Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise I. By Division of Rheumatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22795291
Exercise and Cardiovascular Health, Jonathan Myers, Phd; From the Cardiology Division, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Stanford University: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/107/1/e2.full
Omega-3 Fatty Acids ad Health Factsheet for Health Professionals https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcidsandHealth-HealthProfessional/
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: “Garlic.”
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: “Garlic.”
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: “CoQ10.”
Julio Yacub is the president of Green Organic Supplements, Inc. Green organics Supplements has become one of the renowned producers of supplements with the best ingredients, the right extract potencies, and ingredient in perfect synergy. Green Organic supplements has become synonymous of excellence with a philosophy of care in mind, founded on quality and control, something very difficult to achieve and practice.
