Tips For A Healthier Heart
No matter why you started your fitness program or are thinking of starting one, getting and staying healthy are always part of the goal. Here are some tips for a healthier heart. Heart disease is a killer and has the most potential for also causing death. However, when you make lifestyle changes and good choices for your health, many heart conditions and diseases are preventable. It’s all about changing the things you do daily that make a difference.
Eat healthier.
Cut out those highly processed foods and food that contains added sugar, especially if you have high blood pressure. Sugar is just as bad as salt for increasing it. Switch from foods that are fried and those with trans fats. Opt for healthier fat options like that from nuts, fish and avocado. You need fat, particularly Omega-3 fatty acids, so make sure you have salmon or fatty fish in your diet. It helps the heart keep a steady rhythm.
Get up and get moving.
Lack of exercise will rust you out faster than you can wear out exercising. Start working out regularly. While I believe you’ll get the best type of workout with the help of a trainer, you don’t have to go to a gym to start. Just get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week or at least 75 minute of vigorous exercise. If you’re starting out, completely out of shape and not ready for a gym, walking a half hour a day is a good way to begin a program of exercise. Increase your distance every week, even if it’s just by a few steps. Don’t discount active sports and things you love, like dancing, swimming or playing ball.
Lose weight.
If you are overweight, lose weight. Excess weight is not only bad for your heart, it’s bad for your whole body. It puts excess pressure on the walls of the arteries and makes your heart work harder. It can increase your risk for high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack and diabetes. It’s even worse if you carry your weight around your middle. Visceral fat—belly fat—has a direct correlation to high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
- Get moving. Even if you workout regularly, a sedentary lifestyle otherwise, can put your heart at risk. Move at least five minutes of every hour if you can. Spend free time being more active. Take the steps, rather than the elevator and park further from the store as a start.
- Don’t smoke. If you do, quit. Smoking is especially bad for the heart. It also causes build up of plaque in the arteries and a leading cause of heart disease.
- Get adequate sleep. Sleep is mandatory for heart health. It lets your body rest, lowers your blood pressure and lowers your heart rate. The body repairs itself when you sleep, including the heart.
- Take care of your teeth. Bacteria from gum disease is linked to an increased risk of heart disease. It can cause inflammation and that can cause a build up of blood that makes heart disease worse.
For more information, contact us today at Biofit Performance
When clients come to Biofit Performance in Oviedo, FL, I am always amazed to see how much care they take to make sure they have the proper gear, most of the time it includes good workout shoes. Shoes are probably the most important piece of workout clothing and they need to be good and fit well. They also need to be appropriate for the type of workout you do to protect your feet. If you’re an avid runner, you’ll want shoes made for jogging or running. Cross-training shoes are suitable for working out in the gym.
If you’re following your workout to the letter, eating healthy meals that are lower in calories and getting adequate sleep, you should be making progress toward your weight loss goal. Notice that says should be making progress. Weighing every day can be deceptive. Your body weight fluctuates daily and a pound can be gained from temporary water weight gain. Sometimes, you have to skip the scale and use other methods to check your progress.
We focus on a well-rounded program at Biofit Performance in Oviedo, FL. Some of those are exercises using your body weight. We focus on the six foundational movements, the squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull and carry. These are functional movements you do every day, so there are definitely bodyweight exercises to help improve your strength and flexibility. You can do them anywhere whether you’re on the road or at home.
Not only do our sessions at BioFit Performance in Oviedo, FL, provide workouts that can get you in shape faster, our fitness trainers offer all types of help. We provide nutritional help, a wide variety of aids to help you with pain, the latest scientific aids, such as cryotherapy and infrared and even simple changes you can make at home to boost your overall level of fitness. For instance, our trainers help people learn ways to live healthier, such as encouraging a more active lifestyle, with suggestions that include more activity, like walking. There are many benefits of walking and it could be just what you need to round out your fitness life.
We like to think that people who come to BioFit Performance in Oviedo, FL find it easy to stay motivated, since we provide so much personal attention and an individualized program for each person working out. That close, personalized attention is motivating, since it holds each person accountable while providing the encouragement that’s often necessary for success. We also provide nutritional advice and a number of amenities that can add to your workout success. Nothing is more motivating than success.
Hormones do have an effect on your health and your weight. If your hormones are out of whack, losing weight is tough and gaining weight in all the wrong places comes easily. At BioFit Performance in Oviedo, FL, we focus on helping you get back into shape, which also means improving how your body functions and regulating hormones with exercise and a healthy diet. There are a lot of different types of hormones in the body. Most people think of sex hormones like estrogen or testosterone, but there are so many others that play a role on your health. Hormones are chemical messengers that trigger various functions in the body, including heart rate and temperature.
Many gyms offer a good selection of both dumbbells and often kettlebells, too. Which one is best for working out? Just like any question on training, it all depends on what results you want. Each has their place and both are good. Kettlebells offer a bit more challenge, since they are unbalanced and working them mimics the things you do daily. They’re great for explosive moves and can be good training if you’re focusing on competitions that require it, like basketball. Dumbbells are good for all types of training and they’re easier to learn how to use.
What is primal eating? It’s about eating the way people did before industrialization occurred. While it’s similar to the Paleo or caveman diet, there are a few distinct differences. Both diets eliminate grains, since they’re based on what man might have eaten during caveman times. Both allow for rice a quinoa in the diet. However, the Paleo or caveman diet prohibits the use of dairy, while the primal diet encourages it, but only in the raw form. The Paleo diet doesn’t allow coffee or vegetables in the nightshade family like tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers, but the primal diet does.
There’s often a lot of smiles when clients at BioFit Performance in Oviedo, FL, find out that dark chocolate is actually healthy. Of course, there is a limit on the amount you should eat to reap those benefits and the quality of chocolate you should consume. It has to be high quality with a higher cocoa content of at least 70%. The higher the better. Dark chocolate does contain sugar, but the more cocoa, the lower the sugar count. It also has calories, which means you have to eat it in small amounts. One small square or two provides benefits, that delicious flavor and is about all you should eat in a day.