Your Complete Guide to Heart Wellness

Your heart age reflects your cardiovascular risk compared to others your age. Here are proven strategies to reduce it naturally:

1. Maintain Regular Physical Activity

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. Regular exercise strengthens your heart muscle, improves circulation, and helps control blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

2. Follow a Heart-Healthy Diet

Focus on the Mediterranean diet pattern: plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats like olive oil. Limit processed foods, excessive sodium, and saturated fats.

3. Manage Stress Effectively

Chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Practice stress-reduction techniques like meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or regular hobbies you enjoy.

4. Get Quality Sleep

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly. Poor sleep is linked to high blood pressure, obesity, and increased cardiovascular risk. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine.

5. Quit Smoking Completely

Smoking is one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for heart disease. Quitting smoking can improve your heart age dramatically within just one year.

Blood pressure is one of the most important factors in determining your heart age. Here's what you need to know:

What Do the Numbers Mean?

• Normal: Less than 120/80 mmHg
• Elevated: 120-129 (systolic) and less than 80 (diastolic)
• Stage 1 Hypertension: 130-139/80-89 mmHg
• Stage 2 Hypertension: 140/90 mmHg or higher

Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Regular exercise, reducing sodium intake, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, and managing stress can all help lower blood pressure naturally. The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is particularly effective.

When to See a Doctor

If your blood pressure consistently reads above 130/80 mmHg, consult with a healthcare provider. High blood pressure often has no symptoms but significantly increases heart disease and stroke risk.

Understanding and managing your cholesterol levels is crucial for heart health and can significantly impact your heart age.

Types of Cholesterol

• LDL (Bad) Cholesterol: Should be less than 100 mg/dL
• HDL (Good) Cholesterol: Should be 40 mg/dL or higher for men, 50 mg/dL or higher for women
• Total Cholesterol: Should be less than 200 mg/dL
• Triglycerides: Should be less than 150 mg/dL

Foods That Help Lower Cholesterol

Oats, beans, nuts, fatty fish, and foods fortified with plant sterols can help lower LDL cholesterol. Soluble fiber is particularly effective at reducing cholesterol absorption.

Lifestyle Changes for Better Cholesterol

Regular exercise raises HDL cholesterol, weight loss improves all cholesterol numbers, and avoiding trans fats helps prevent LDL cholesterol from rising.