Our heart is a marvel of nature. It keeps us alive and supplies our entire organism with blood. To keep our heart healthy and functional for as long as possible, you should follow the tips below.
Our heart is the engine of our life. It performs at its best day after day and continuously pumps blood through our body throughout our lives. On average, it beats around 100,000 times a day in order to supply our entire organism and every cell with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. If our heart is not healthy or if its ability to function is restricted, we face life-threatening consequences. For this reason, we should protect our heart in the best possible way – above all, a healthy lifestyle goes a long way, as these three pieces of advice show:
Table of Contents
3 tips for a healthy heart
1. Balanced diet
Several studies have shown that Mediterranean cuisine is considered to be particularly heart-protecting and can prevent cardiovascular diseases. Fresh vegetables such as tomatoes and courgettes, fish and high-quality vegetable oils are an essential part of the Mediterranean diet. This has a positive effect on your cholesterol levels and can lower your LDL cholesterol. This so-called “bad” cholesterol promotes deposits in the vessel walls. These in turn lead to the vessels thickening and blood flow is impaired. Other healthy foods that prevent such arteriosclerosis are low-sugar fruit, high-fiber whole grain products and legumes. In particular, avoid trans fats. These are found in abundance in fried, roasted or baked foods such as chips, french fries or pastries.
2. Regular exercise
It’s no longer a secret: Many people are aware that regular exercise is a true fountain of youth and beneficial for our entire cardiovascular system. Sport also helps to prevent fat and calcium deposits in the vessels. Endurance sports such as jogging, walking, cycling or swimming are particularly recommended. Thanks to regular activity, the performance of the heart is increased, blood flow to the heart muscle is improved and your various blood values are positively influenced. According to the German Heart Foundation, you should do 30 minutes of endurance training about five times a week.
3. Avoid stress
There’s one thing our heart doesn’t like at all – and that ‘s stress . This form of mental stress is considered one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Why? Persistent stress causes our blood pressure to skyrocket. In severe cases, stress can lead to cardiac arrhythmias , cardiac insufficiency or even heart failure. But how can we even perceive stress? Typical stress symptoms include inner restlessness, sleep disorders and constant tiredness. But dealing with stress is not always easy. Each of us handles stress differently. While some calm down with sport, others swear by meditation. For this reason, it is important to find the balance that suits you.
>> You can find more about stress reduction in our Tolfioow podcast episode “Dr. Ilona Bürgel talks: Just relax!” .
