Your heart is an amazing organ. It is around the same size as two adult fists and will beat around 100,000 times just today, with around 2.6 billion beats over the average lifetime. It goes without saying just how important your heart is and you should take care of it to keep it and yourself fit and healthy.

Smoking

We all know that smoking is bad for us, especially the lungs but many people do not realise that the chemicals in cigarettes also contribute to heart disease. Cut down and stop, or maybe try E Cigarettes as an alternative.

Weight

Keeping an eye on your weight is a no-brainer. Many people do not realise that carrying a little bit too much weight around their stomach area actually increases your blood pressure. This is really not good for your heart. You can pick up a omron bp785 blood pressure monitor to check on you and your families levels in the comfort of your own home.

Alcohol

Alcohol contains a lot of sugars, adding a few drinks to your diet over the week can have a massive effect on your weight, and this is again bad for your heart. Most people love a drink, just do not drink to excess. One glass an evening is more than enough to wind down. If you can’t stay away from the booze, consider changing to red wine, this is much more healthy in moderation and can actually boost your good cholesterol

Exercise

The best way to help your heart stay strong and healthy is to exercise, Around two and a half hours of activity a week will suffice. This doesn’t have to be very strenuous activity if you are older for example. A simple brisk walk is more than enough, so long as you get a little out of breath doing your chosen activity. If you have real trouble fitting in your exercise around work why not cycle to work or if that is not an option, park you car a street away or get off the bus a stop early or late.

Diet

You can have a massive influence on your heart by eating better quality foods. Ditch those harmful saturated fats, this can be as easy as changing from whole milk to semi-skimmed, steaming a few vegetables and not choosing to grill meat not fry it. Remember to always try and fit in your five portions of fruit and veg a day and where possible eat oily fish at least two times a week. Another great tip is to eat nuts as an alternative to snacking. They contain protein and heart healthy oils. Almonds and cashews are best. Beware though as some are not so great and also avoid processed ones, go for raw or dry roasted where possible.

Salt
Salt is very bad for your blood pressure. Try not to add any at the table as lots of salt is added to processed foods already. Cut it out for a week or so, and you won’t even notice that it has gone.