Looking Out for Your Heart

Hey there, friends. It's Brendan the Marketing Intern here once again, and though the weather outside may be a bit dreary, it's a warm and comforting thing to remember that tomorrow is Valentine's Day, the pinkest and most romantic of all holidays!

Though we haven't yet found a remedy for any broken hearts (and trust me, we've tried), we did feel it would be appropriate to share a few tips about V-Day's favorite organ: the heart! Keeping one's heart healthy is, of course, one of the keys to a long and vibrant life.

The most important exercise you can do to benefit your heart are aerobics. They help to improve circulation and can also aid in reducing stress (more on that later). According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the recommended amount of aerobic exercise for the average adult is around half an hour every 'work' day, for a total of two and a half hours in a given week. The CDC's website also provides great examples of the kind of exercise regimen that can help you keep your heart and body healthy, which you can read here.

There are a variety of aerobic exercises that you can utilize; my personal favorite is the simple act of taking a brisk walk every day, though swimming and cycling are also popular due to their ease and enjoyability. In addition to benefiting the health of your heart, these exercises provide a variety of other health benefits, including increased muscle density and bone strength, bolstering mental function and aiding in weight management. They also help lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes!

In addition to physical exercise, one of the things in life most guaranteed to muddy the waters of good cardiac health is stress. Though there are circumstances where it can't be avoided, making sure that you mediate the consequences of stress can be a big help. Recognizing your stressors and the responses you have to them is the key to all of this, as detailed in this article from Harvard.

One of the things that they recommend is the utilization of different relaxation techniques, such as meditation. These help to lower your heart rate and thus heart strain, as well as helping you better confront whatever problem has you stressed.  Personally, I make use of breathing exercises, which help return the body to its natural equilibrium. Part of the appeal of breathing exercises is that you don't need anything but yourself and a bit of time to complete them. Here's a link to a guide on some of the ones that I use!

Something else worth remembering is the various factors that can contribute to heart disease, a potential problem that becomes more critical with age. Watching certain elements of your diet, namely cholesterol intake, is a fundamental part of this, though one should also be aware of their environment as well. Smoking can be a major factor in heart disease risk, as can consistent exposure to second-hand smoke.

Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the particulates from air pollution as one of the most important potential threats regarding heart disease. These and other things are definitely worth looking out for; if you have any questions about potential risks or any concerns about your health in general, you should always consult a qualified medical professional.

There are a lot of things to consider when trying to keep yourself and your heart at their very best. Make sure not to over-exert yourself and to take even good things like exercise in the appropriate moderation. Look out for yourselves, and have a wonderful Valentine's Day. This is Brendan the Marketing Intern, signing off for now.