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9 Stellar Tips to Maintain A Healthy Heart
Your heart is the biggest and the most important muscle of your body. It pumps clean blood to all the organs to keep our body functions up and running.
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So this is why it is very important to keep our heart healthy and strong. Below are 9 smart tips you can adopt.
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1. Don’t Remain Seated for a Long Time
Do you work out for a straight 60 minutes a day? If so, and if you remain seated for longer periods of time, then you have to rethink this habit.
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Recent studies have shown that people who sit for longer periods of time are more prone to getting affected by some type of heart disease as compared to those who move around.
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So, if you have a job which requires you to work while sitting at a desk, make it a habit to get up and walk around for 15 minutes after every hour or two. Stay active at work! You can always squeeze some in some exercise even in the busiest of schedules!
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If possible, work while standing up instead of sitting down. Also, try to take the stairs instead of the elevators. These small changes will help you in maintaining a healthy heart.
2. Sleep Properly
How you sleep is very important for a healthy heart.
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An adult should sleep at least for 6 to 8 hours straight. So, if you sleep fewer hours than 6 to 8, no matter how good your eating and workout habits are, you are more at a risk of having a cardiovascular disease and even a stroke.
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When you don’t get sufficient sleep, your body does not perform its functions properly. This is because it hardly gets any time to rest and instead overworks.
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You may suffer from inflammation eventually which can lead to hypertension and high blood pressure eventually. Lack of sleep also affects the biological performance of various organs.
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Thus, sleeping properly is really important for a healthy, body, mind and heart. Here are 4 holistic sleep solutions for improved deep sleep tonight and every night!
3. Say No to Trans-Fats
Trans fats are artificial fats which are industrially produced for commercial usage. These fats are high in LDL ( the bad cholesterol fat). .
When you consume too much of these, they clog up your arteries and affect the blood flow from heart to the other organs of the body. This causes an extra strain on the heart which can lead to a stroke or a heart attack.
Trans fats are usually present with the name of hydrogenated oil in different commercially prepared food items. This is why you should avoid eating margarine, bakery items, fast food items and snacks. They are highly addictive and add an extra tasty flavor to the food items, which is not worth your life.
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And you should also be aware that such foods most likely also contain high fructose corn syrup HFCS, a cheap pseudo-food-sugar put into every commercially produced food, especially fast foods and snacks.
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These food ingredients can easily lead to degenerative diseases like arthritis and cancer.
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Make a transition to real food ingredients like first cold-pressed virgin olive oil, butter and animal fat like goose grease.
4. Go For Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are basically good fats which increase good cholesterol or HDL in your body.
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These fats are good for your heart and its functions. They do not destroy any of your organs.
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Neither do they create an extra layer of fats on any of your precious organs.
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Try a real saturated fat dish like our chicken wing delice – cooked with goose great, and highly cardiovascular healthy!
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You have no need to be wary. Cholesterol actually is vital to your good health. All your bodily hormones are made from cholesterol – imagine that! Mothers’ milk contains cholesterol.
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So go on! Top up on your consumption of cholesterol-rich foods.
5. Quit Smoking
“Smoking is injurious to health.” we have heard it a lot any times, and it is very true.
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When you smoke, you get more prone to getting heart disease. This is because the smoke which you inhale enters your lungs and clogs your arteries.
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Your lungs find it hard to breathe. This causes strain on the heart when it comes to inhaling oxygen, as your body is loaded with carbon dioxide.
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Smoking also causes plaque to form in the arteries. Thus, a smoker is more likely to suffer from a heart attack even at an early age as compared to a non smoker.
6. Avoid Second-Hand Smoke
Second hand smoke is as equally harmful as smoking itself. Research has shown that you are likely to suffer from heart disease 30% more if you are exposed to second-hand smoke.
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The risk is even more if you do not smoke. You will still suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure.
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This is why you mus absolutely stop exposing yourself to second-hand smoke.
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Make your home smoke-free. If you have a friend or a colleague who has a habit of smoking in front of you, excuse yourself from their presence. Alternatively, tell them politely not to smoke in front of you.
7. Take Care of Your Oral Health
Have you ever wondered why there are dentists sitting in heart clinics?
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This is because people who do not practice good oral hygiene are likely to suffer from various gum-related and periodontal diseases.
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Such patients are more prone to falling prey to any heart disease.
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To avoid this, make sure that you not just brush your teeth twice a day, but you also floss them on a regular basis.
8. Keep Track of Your Blood Pressure
If you suffer from high blood pressure or your family has a history of it, then you should keep track of it.
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High BP can damage the arteries and eventually your heart. To prevent this, try avoiding foods which are precursors of a high BP. These include commercially processed foods, fast foods, GM-ed foods and the trans fats mentioned above.
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Reduce the intake of commercially-refined table salt in your diet. Quit sprinkling it on your salads in a raw form. However, do use raw, unrefined sea salt normally. It is the one which looks slimy and is a grayish, dirty colour. Salt is vital and important for good cardiovascular and overall, general health.
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Eat more real food including fruits, vegetables and lean meat. Have a balanced diet, so that you can enjoy a long and healthy life. And join this tribe of foodists who eat delicious, real food as medicine!
9. Avoid Stress
Stress is a very common underlying cause behind various heart diseases.
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Avoid getting stressed over useless things. If your kid has got bad grades in exams, then don’t stress over it. There is always another test coming up in which your child can perform better.
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Is your job is giving you stress? Avoid thinking about it. Start thinking about the positive factors related to your work which makes you happy.
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Stress causes extra strain on the heart, which can be avoided. Learn to stop mental stress with this mind control exercise. Additionally, take bio-available magnesium. It is a very good relaxant and beneficial for heart health.
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Maintaining a healthy heart is achievable and manageable. Just make some small changes in your life and you will notice how good your overall health will become in a short space of time.
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Staying happy is also an important factor which can release a lot of tension from your body. Happiness will make you feel light and satisfied.
.Guest Contributor
James David
I’m a student of Medical Science, I have been experimenting the use of different medical products for the last 4 years and have enough knowledge on a lot of medical tools.
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Even if your illness was completely unavoidable and had nothing to do with your lifestyle choices, leading a healthier life will still benefit you.
You could seek help from a nutritionist about your diet, rev 
