Learn How To Keep A Healthy Heart It’s important to learn how to keep a healthy heart because without a healthy heart your life will be shortened.

It’s as easy as 1,2,3. A healthy heart requires, exercise, a good diet, and no drugs.

Exercise is a simple process that will keep the heart healthy yet so many of us don’t do it. The most difficult part of exercising is getting motivated to start. Once you establish a routine you will actually find yourself looking forward to your exercise time.

When it comes to exercising there are endless choices. If you are not sure or you have health conditions check with your doctor to ensure a safe exercise program is chosen.

For average healthy people pick and play. You are only going to stick to your exercise program if you enjoy it. So don’t choose an exercise you hate. If you like social gatherings choose a team sport such as baseball. If you live someplace where you have inclimate whether for a large part of the year then choose an indoor sport like racquetball.

If you prefer to exercise by yourself you can walk, jog, swim, or bike. There are activities that count as exercise that you might not even think about. Dancing is fun and a great form of exercise. Even walking around the mall is exercise.

Be realistic when you choose your exercise program. Start slow and build up. Don’t decide you are going to walk a mile on the first day. You won’t be able to and then you are more likely to give up on your entire exercise program. If you haven’t been exercising for quite some time you are probably more out of shape than you realize.

You’ll also need to choose a convenient time to exercise. Are you more motivated first thing in the morning or later in the day after work. You’ll need to set aside at least 30 minutes 4 times per week. The amount of time may increase with your fitness level.

You’ll also need to decide if you’ll exercise from home or if you are going to join a gym. Fitness centers offer a great mix of equipment to keep the entire you healthy. From treadmills to free weights and everything in-between. They also offer aerobics classes or similar cardiovascular workouts.

You also need to make sure you are eating right. Saturated fat is not good for your arteries or your heart. Everything you eat affects your heart. You should make sure your fat intake is not more than 25% of your total calorie intake per day. Saturated fats, Polyunsaturated fats, and Monosaturated fats each should make up less than 10% of your total calories per day. Cholesterol should be less than 300 milligrams per day and your sodium should be no more than 3000 milligrams per day. Watch for chemicals such as MSG and other food additives.

Take some type to learn about foods that are heart smart and follow the recommended guidelines of the Heart Association.

Lifestyle choices are also hazardous to our hearts. Smoking, drinking, pollutants, and other exposures can damage our heart. The job of the heart is to pump nutrients through the blood through out the body. But if we smoke, do drugs, or drink too much we jeopardize the hearts ability to do its job.

We’ve all heard the stats on smoking. It doubles your risk of a heart attack and triples your risk of a sudden cardiac death. Yet we keep smoking. The sooner you quit the better!

Any substance can affect the heart and this includes prescription drugs, however your doctor should monitor any prescriptions you are on. Illegal drug such as cocaine or heroin can be very dangerous to the heart and you should not take any of these potentially fatal drugs.

Drinking in excess can be a serious danger to your heart. Alcohol flows in your blood stream mixed with the nutrients. If there is too much alcohol in your blood stream it could be dangerous.

Having a healthy heart doesn’t sound so difficult after all does it? Just three simple steps. Exercise, eat right, and get rid of your bad habits. Your heart will thank for the extra effort by living a longer healthier life.

Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.