It’s one of the smallest organs in your body, but puts in twice the work to keep everything running smoothly day by day - Of course, the hero we’re talking about here is the heart! Regulating blood flow and maintaining healthy blood pressure are two of the most important factors that contribute to your body’s health.
Poor heart health continues to be a burden on Australia both financially and physically - nearly 1 in 6 Australians will be affected by cardiovascular health Issues at some point in their life.
Here, leading integratived cardiologist Dr Ross Walker, shares some of the evidence-based therapies he recommends for maintaining a healthy heart, regardless of what stage you’re at in your health journey.
Exercise for your heart health
At the pulse of it, good heart health comes down, in many cases, to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Finding the time to exercise is always difficult. If you’re finding yourself stressing about a lack of exercise, take a deep breath and relax - not only is stress not good for your heart, it’s not productive towards finding a workout routine that works for you! I can’t emphasise enough the importance of cardio exercise towards improving the function of your heart, as these sorts of exercises can lower blood pressure and strengthen your heart as you increase your cardiovascular endurance.
You don’t need to be running a marathon every day. Enjoy some sort of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, ideally all, days of the week. (Moderate intensity means that you work up a sweat, but you can still hold a conversation.) Find something you enjoy, whether it be power-walking, swimming or even dancing, and aim to move and get the heart pumping for at least 30 minutes a day.
Create your own happiness
Whether you’re focusing on your power bills or putting food on the table, it’s easy to sacrifice what makes us happy. One of the simplest methods you’ll read in this list is to be happy - it’s backed up by numerous research papers and is often called one of the best drugs on the planet.
Of course, this is easier said than done. So how do you ‘become’ happier exactly? Personally, I’d recommend sitting down and thinking about what matters to you. If creating and establishing social connections makes you happy, it’s worth taking the time and effort to contact friends and family in order to create a mutually beneficial relationship. Maintaining healthy relationships throughout life is backed up by research to improve your heart health.
If you spend a few minutes every day for one week writing down 5 things in your life you are grateful for, you increase your happiness index by 25%.
It doesn’t matter exactly what it is - as long as it creates joy for you, it’ll help you release serotonin into the brain and suppress the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisone.
Nutrition for the heart
We can get so caught up in eating well to look better, but have you ever thought about food for your heart? Being overweight can dramatically increase your chances of developing heart problems, and whilst it’s a tough statistic, it’s a great reason to consult a nutritionist and swap to healthy, unprocessed foods.
Load up on healthy fats and turmeric - a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, and additionally, reduce inflammation in the body, particularly around the joints. Load up your plate with salmon, walnuts and oils rich in essential fatty acids like flaxseed and hemp.
Supplements can also be useful when diet intake is inadequate or when life’s business prevents us from eating an ideal heart-healthy diet. Nutritional supplements such as Ubiquinol can be useful towards maintaining a healthy heart. The active form of Coenzyme CoQ10 (a coenzyme that naturally occurs in the body), has been shown to improve heart function by maintaining healthy levels of LDL Cholesterol as well as the overall maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system.
As we age, our natural levels of CoQ10 decline. Taking Ubiquinol in addition to the healthy tips I’ve listed above could be useful towards reducing the effects of stress on the heart.
Other heart friendly supplements such as magnesium orotate, aged kyolic garlic, bergamot, Vitamin K2 can also assist with maintaining a healthy heart.
Newsletter
