We’re all given only one heart to use throughout our entire lives. For that reason, learning to protect your heart during exercise could be an important consideration. Taking good care of your heart is key to making sure it will continue to pump the blood throughout your body for many, many more years.
The great news about being able to protect your heart during exercise is that the majority of the power is in your hands. Your choices and behaviors can help to determine how healthy your exercises will be for your heart.
Use the following tips to not only make sure that you’re able to protect your heart during exercise but that you also do what you can to support that vital organ’s health!
Eat right
Give your body, including your cardiovascular system, the nutrition it needs. This includes both the energy required to complete a workout and the nutrients that will assist in blood vessel function. For example, eat half a cup of walnut halves every day. It’s easy to sprinkle them on your breakfast, toss them in a smoothie or just snack on them. They’re high in the omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linoleic acid. This helps your body fight inflammation and enhance the function of your blood vessels. A diet supplement can also be a good addition to your healthy diet.
Understand your heart rate
Either using a fitness tracker or by doing your own calculations, find your resting heart rate. First thing in the morning while still lying in bed is a great time to do this. Log the number of beats per minute. A healthy resting heart rate should be around or 60 to 100 beats per minute. Ideally, you’ll want to be on the lower end of that scale because it suggests your heart is functioning efficiently. If your resting heart rate is higher than that, speak with your doctor before you start exercising. That way, you’ll know your workout won’t be adding unnecessary strain.
Exercise in clean air
When you do your workout in polluted air, it can make your heart have to work much harder. When you do it on a regular basis, you can thicken the carotid artery wall, increasing your risk of heart attacks. Air quality is worst in the early morning during the winter and in the heat of the daytime during the summer. Change the time of day that you exercise outside or do your workouts inside where there is quality air filtration.
