Your heart is an organ that brings blood in by way of arteries and then pumps it back out to the rest of your body. When a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside of your arteries, this can make your arteries more narrow, which makes it harder for blood to go into and out of your heart. When this is left untreated or gets worse, these plaque deposits can cause a blockage of the blood flow to the heart, scheduling you for an early meeting with the undertaker. Here are some things that you can do to ensure healthy arteries, and a healthy heart.
- Quit Smoking: smokers are two times as likely to have a heart attack, as a non-smoker. The number of chemicals in cigarette damage the walls of your arteries.
- Watch your cholesterol levels: cutting back on fatty foods can decrease the amount of fat running through your bloodstream and attaching to your artery walls.
- Watch your stress levels: stress predisposes you to high blood pressure, which increases the number of times your heart must beat, this tires you heart over time and makes it more sluggish, and this can allow those pesky plaques to form on your arterial walls.
- Watch what you eat: Eat foods that are low in fat and cholesterol. Increase the number of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, studies have shown that heart disease can be reversed with a diet low in fat and cholesterol. Have a healthy diet, so that your arteries will not be predisposed to any harmful effects that would come with a diet that lacks restraint.
- Exercise: Exercise get your body and blood moving which decreases the amount of plaque that can store up on the walls of your arteries.
While some things are out of our control, such as having a genetic predisposition to some diseases. You owe it to yourself to have a lifestyle that can enhance the bodies own mechanisms that will ensure the best outcome for your health.
