The Importance Of A Healthy Heart

The heart is an organ that sends blood to all the major organs and tissues in the body. Heart health is paramount as this muscular organ takes deoxygenated blood, transfers the blood to the lungs to oxygenate, and collects the oxygenated blood to deliver throughout the body. Therefore, the heart needs to be working properly at all times to ensure a healthy heart and body. People can take preventative measures to avoid complications like heart disease, heart attack, stroke, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Can exercise improve heart health?

Exercise is a great way to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, improve blood circulation throughout the heart, and keep blood glucose levels low. The best type of exercises for cardiovascular health are aerobics and resistance training. Aerobics exercises utilize all the major muscle groups in the body to engage in physical activity. Aerobics boosts the heart rate and delivers oxygen throughout the body to improve the circulatory system.

Basic aerobics exercises

Aerobic exercises are simple and don’t involve a lot of special equipment. Walking, running, jogging, and swimming are all aerobics exercises that can be performed anywhere. Aerobics is all about getting the blood flowing through steady repetition. Dancing and cycling are also aerobics exercises. If individuals prefer to use equipment, try treadmills, elliptical machines, and stair climbers. These machines are all cardio equipment that increases pulse rate while emphasizing repeated motion.

Boost heart rate with resistance training

Resistance or strength training is an exercise solution that uses the pressure of an external force to build muscle strength and endurance. This external force can be a weight machine, resistance bands, free weights, or the person’s body weight. Resistance training using a person’s body weight refers to push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges. The free weights that can be used are dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells. Like aerobics exercises, the repetition of numbered sets increases heart and oxygen rates during resistance training.

How does vitamin C improve heart health?

Research has shown that the antioxidant properties of vitamin C are good for heart health. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, helps the body produce collagen, fight free radical damage, absorb iron, and guard against sun damage. During exercise, vitamin C helps with blood flow to the skeletal muscles and oxygen circulation. Vitamin C also reduces the risk of heart damage, injury, and hypertension. Low vitamin C levels are linked to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and stroke. Vitamin C improves the function of endothelial cells, which are cells that support blood vessels.

Getting vitamin C

Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, pineapple, papaya, strawberries, and raspberries. Vitamin C is also present in cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and bell peppers. Vitamin C dietary supplements are also available in pill and capsule form.

Talk to a specialist

Patients with heart issues should discuss lifestyle changes with a physician. Most medical professionals will encourage patients to get more physically active and add in daily fruits and vegetables. However, some patients may have underlying health conditions, so a medical evaluation can be helpful before implementing any major changes.