On top of that, you get to meet a lot of new friends! The overall impact of dancing to your heart should be enough to convince you to put on those dancing shoes! Laughter indeed is the best medicine.

The health benefits of laughter is not a myth. Our physiology is all affected by our emotions. Many emotions like stress, depression, loneliness and sadness have an immediate effect on our heart.

Stress hormones release chemicals to our body that promote an unhealthy heart. Laughing causes an increase in our heart which makes us take deep and numerous breaths. This promotes healthy circulation and vascular function.

So laugh your way to a healthy heart! This may come as a surprise but gardening is one of the hobbies that can contribute to a healthy heart. Gardening is a labor intensive hobby.

It requires you to get sweaty and dirty. Gardening includes pulling out weeds, planting and mowing. This causes you to increase your heart rate and sweat, thus contributing to your vascular functions.

Gardening also relieves stress and keeps your mind and hands occupied. Gardening also encourages healthy eating—garden to table food. And because one sooner or later sees the fruit of their gardening, it also promotes self fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment which boosts your overall mental, emotional and heart health.

There are many more activities that you can take up to help improve your heart health. Keep in mind that maintaining a healthy heart should not be stressful. A simple chat and laugh with your friends is already a step to helping your heart. Running Running is on top of the list because it is the number one recommended activity for anyone who wants to keep a healthy heart.

Yoga There is no stretching the truth here, yoga does help your heart! Dancing Dancing is another cardio exercise that promotes a healthy and happy heart.

Laughing Laughter indeed is the best medicine. Gardening This may come as a surprise but gardening is one of the hobbies that can contribute to a healthy heart.

This page was written by Lorraine Anne Liu, RN on Jul 10, Health Questionnaire. Heart related illnesses are on the rise in the United States. Additionally, maintaining a healthy diet is difficult for many Americans. The combination of these two factors put individuals at a major risk for developing coronary artery disease CAD.

CAD occurs when pockets of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other materials adhere to the arteries surrounding the heart. As these deposits build up, the artery becomes increasingly narrow, limiting blood flow, and eventually restricting it completely. The heart muscle grows weak and can eventually stop working all together, resulting in a heart attack or heart failure.

Those with certain risk factors, like high blood pressure, are even more susceptible to developing CAD or another cardiovascular disease. According to the CDC , heart disease kills 1 in 4 Americans each year.

Coronary Artery Disease is the leading type of heart disease, taking approximately , lives a year. Fortunately, most instances of heart disease, including CAD, are preventable through moderate lifestyle choices and changes as they relate to diet and exercise.

Individuals of all ages and varying health conditions can start taking steps today to strengthen the heart and stave off coronary related issues. Taking action is important.

Consuming a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean forms of protein can also promote heart health. In addition to a healthy diet, regular exercise can help maintain a healthy heart.

Aim for at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity, such as a brisk walk, jogging, cycling, or swimming. Diet and exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight and minimise your risk of heart disease.

Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease. Heart health can be dramatically improved by quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke. Managing and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol levels is also essential for maintaining a healthy heart.

If you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, speak with your healthcare provider about appropriate treatment and management options. Stress can also have a significant impact on heart health.

Try meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or other relaxation techniques to reduce stress. Aim for hours of sleep each night, as adequate sleep is also crucial for heart health. Moreover, oral health might impact heart health. The Food and Drug Administration FDA recently approved medications within a new class of drugs called angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors ARNI to treat patients with chronic heart failure.

Studies have shown the ARNI medications were associated with reductions of mortality and morbidity, and it t is expected to become a core therapeutic component of chronic heart failure in the near future.

Before these medications were available, core therapeutic medications for heart failure included angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE inhibitors and aldosterone receptor antagonist ARA medications.

UC Health delivers innovative, compassionate and leading-edge cardiological care to patients in the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky region and beyond. We can help you navigate testing, treatment and rehabilitation for heart and vascular disease.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment with one of our cardiology experts, call At UC Health, we lead the region in scientific discoveries and embrace a spirit of purpose — offering our patients and their families something beyond everyday healthcare.

At UC Health, we offer hope. For more information, call:. Types of Heart Disease Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart.

The main types of heart disease include: Coronary artery disease: When the major blood vessels that supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients become damaged or diseased.

Ischemic heart disease: Caused by narrow heart arteries that restrict the amount of blood and oxygen that reaches the heart muscle. Congenital heart disease: Describes at least one problem with the structure of the heart.

Also known as a congenital heart defect, this birth defect can change the way the blood flows through your heart. Rheumatic heart disease: Damage to the heart valves caused by rheumatic fever or streptococcal infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Heart arrhythmia: An irregular heartbeat caused when the electrical signals that coordinate the heart's beats don't work properly.

An arrhythmia could be too fast tachycardia , too slow bradycardia or irregular. Cardiomyopathy: Affects the heart muscle and makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Heart infection: When bacteria, viruses and fungi infect your heart.

Types of heart infections include endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis. Top Hazards to your Heart Health Behaviors and risk factors that contribute to heart diseases include Smoking. Excess weight. Certain types of red meat. Avoiding secondhand smoke is important, too — so keep your home smoke-free.

If you have guests who smoke, ask them to smoke outside. Managing stress can help prevent serious health problems like heart disease, depression, and high blood pressure.

Deep breathing and meditation are good ways to relax and manage stress. Get more ideas for how to manage stress. This content on heart disease was adapted from materials from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Reviewed by: Paula T. Einhorn, M. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by ODPHP or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.

Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. MyHealthfinder Health Conditions Heart Health Keep Your Heart Healthy.

Health Conditions Keep Your Heart Healthy. The Basics Take Action. What Is Heart Disease? Take Action. Take Action Signs of a Heart Attack What is a heart attack? When to Call Call right away if you or someone else has signs of a heart attack.

Know Your Numbers Take steps today to lower your risk for heart disease. Control your cholesterol and blood pressure. Get your cholesterol checked. Get your blood pressure checked. Ask your doctor about taking aspirin every day. Talk to your doctor about taking medicine to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Food and Alcohol Eat healthy. Drink alcohol only in moderation. Physical Activity Get active.

From supporting a healthy weight to decreasing the risk of diabetes and cancer, excellent nutrition can make you look and feel better. But did you know it can also help support a healthy heart?

According to the American Heart Association , a healthy diet is one of the best weapons in the fight against heart disease.

Per their recommendations, people who want to eat for a healthier heart should start focusing on eating more leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Low-fat dairy products and skinless fish and poultry are also recommended. Get Active Regular exercise is nearly as critical as diet when it comes to creating a heart-healthy lifestyle.

In addition to promoting circulation and increasing the strength of the heart muscle, regular activity can help lower cholesterol, keep body weight in check, and support a happier and healthier outlook on life. For best results, develop an aerobic exercise routine that includes activities like walking, running, swimming, biking, or interval training.

Each of these exercises promotes optimal heart health and keeps you feeling great. If you lose a bit of weight, it helps your body function better and reduces strain on your heart. The American Heart Association reports that bodies in a healthy weight range circulate blood more efficiently, have an easier time managing fluid levels, and are less at risk for conditions like cancer, diabetes, sleep apnea, and, yes, heart disease.

com says that heart-healthy drinking is incredibly moderate. While a 5 oz. Realistically, you probably will deal with stressful events from time to time.

Create a strategy for how you can maintain calm when you do. This may include deep breathing, repeating a calming saying, or prioritizing the tasks at hand. A review shows that quitting smoking can lead to weight gain in some individuals.

This may have a negative impact on heart health. But quitting smoking is still critically important. To reap the benefits of quitting smoking and maintaining a moderate weight, try the following tips:. Tip Use medications to help you quit smoking , such as nicotine patches or varenicline Chantix.

These approaches help to keep you from gaining weight while you quit smoking. Tip Get emotional support from a counselor or trusted friend as you are trying to quit and be healthier. Having psychological support can help you maintain your weight. Tip Exercise regularly to help maintain a healthy body and moderate weight.

Several pregnancy-related disorders, such as preeclampsia and gestational high blood pressure , can increase your risk of heart disease later in life, according to a study.

Tip Attend all your recommended prenatal appointments. Your doctor can monitor you for potential complications, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Treating these with medications can help maintain your heart health. Staying active will help you maintain a healthy body during pregnancy and relieve some stress. Tip Follow a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH diet.

A review associated eating this diet during pregnancy with reduced blood pressure. Tip Avoid high fat and sugary foods during pregnancy.

These habits increase your risk of preterm delivery. Tip Stop smoking if you smoke. Smoking is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for pregnant people and heart health.

A heart attack can be a wake-up call to engage in more heart-healthy measures. Some of the ways you can accomplish this include:.

Tip Take your medications as your doctor prescribes every day. Talk with your doctor about side effects you can expect and when you should call if you have concerns. Tip Participate in cardiac rehabilitation.

Many hospitals and healthcare facilities will offer cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack. This is an approach where you can exercise while wearing a monitor.

Tip Make an appointment with your primary health professional to get a checkup. During the checkup, they can screen you for other medical conditions that could affect your heart health, like diabetes.

Assessing your overall health and taking steps to get healthier can lower your risk of future heart attacks. Having a condition that limits your mobility can make traditional exercise approaches more challenging, but not impossible. Some low impact exercise tips include:. This is when you use games or video games that involve movement as a form of exercise.

A game that requires movement using controllers, such as bowling or golfing on the Nintendo Wii, can be a fun and engaging way to exercise with lower mobility. Tip Use a stationary cycling machine for either arms or legs. Even those with lower mobility can often use these exercise machines to enhance heart health.

Researchers are still studying the impacts of COVID on the heart. The AHA says that, just as with the disease itself, some people are more affected than others. Some are experiencing heart tissue inflammation, and doctors are concerned this could lead to heart failure.

Until experts know more, take overall heart-healthy measures, such as eating a healthy diet , exercising , and refraining from smoking , to ideally have a protective effect. Most heart health efforts emphasize your overall wellness. You don't have to exercise hard to benefit. But you can see bigger benefits if you boost the intensity, length and frequency of your workouts.

A healthy diet can help protect the heart, improve blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. A heart-healthy eating plan includes:. Two examples of heart-healthy food plans include the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension DASH eating plan and the Mediterranean diet.

Being overweight — especially around the middle of the body — raises the risk of heart disease. Extra weight can lead to conditions that raise the chances of getting heart disease. These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. The body mass index BMI uses height and weight to find out whether a person is overweight or obese.

A BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight. In general, it's linked with higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Waist circumference also can be a useful tool to measure how much belly fat you have. The risk of heart disease is higher if the waist measurement is greater than:.

Even a small weight loss can be good for you. It can lower blood sugar, also called glucose. And it can cut the risk of type 2 diabetes. Losing even more helps lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. People who don't get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression.

Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. Children usually need more. So make sure you get enough rest. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it. To do that, go to bed and wake up at the same times each day.

Keep your bedroom dark and quiet too, so it's easier to sleep. Talk to a member of your health care team if you feel like you get enough sleep but you're still tired throughout the day. Ask if you need to be evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea. It's a condition that can raise your risk of heart disease.

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include loud snoring, stopping breathing for short times during sleep and waking up gasping for air. Treatment for obstructive sleep apnea may involve losing weight if you're overweight.

It also might involve using a device that keeps your airway open while you sleep. This is called a continuous positive airway pressure CPAP device.

Ongoing stress can play a role in higher blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Some people also cope with stress in unhealthy ways. For example, they may overeat, drink or smoke.

You can boost your health by finding other ways to manage stress. Healthy tactics include physical activity, relaxation exercises, mindfulness, yoga and meditation.

If stress becomes overwhelming, get a health care checkup. Ongoing stress may be linked with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

These conditions also are tied to heart disease risk factors, including higher blood pressure and less blow flow to the heart. If you think you might have depression or anxiety, it's important to get treatment. High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage the heart and blood vessels.

But if you don't get checked for these conditions, you likely won't know whether you have them. Regular screening tests can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

Blood pressure. Regular blood pressure screenings usually start in childhood. Starting at age 18, blood pressure should be measured at least once every two years. This checks for high blood pressure as a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

If you're between 18 and 39 and have risk factors for high blood pressure, you'll likely be screened once a year. People age 40 and older also are given a blood pressure test yearly. If you have a condition such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, talk with your health care team.

Your doctor may prescribe medicines and recommend lifestyle changes. Make sure to take your medicines exactly as prescribed, and follow a healthy-lifestyle plan. Certain infections may lead to heart problems.

For instance, gum disease may be a risk factor for heart and blood vessel diseases. So brush and floss daily. Get regular dental checkups too. Other illnesses caused by infections can make existing heart problems worse.

Vaccines help protect against infectious diseases. So stay up to date on the following shots:. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health.

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The article Heart Health Benefits of Running discusses more on the benefits of running for a healthy heart. There is no stretching the truth here, yoga does help your heart! Yoga, as a form of exercise, involves lots of stretching and breathing movements.

This promotes good circulation and good breathing. Although it is not an aerobic exercise, yoga can offer so much more than being an exercise. Yoga is a good stress relieving outlet.

It promotes relaxation of the body and mind. Stress can cause a lot of negative effects in the body, especially the heart. Many reports show that instances of cardiac events stem from too much worrying and depression. Yoga is a way of breathing out all those negative emotional stresses and keeping your heart happy.

Dancing is another cardio exercise that promotes a healthy and happy heart. A lot of exercises nowadays incorporate dancing as part of their promoted lifestyle.

Some of the common ones are Tae Bo and Zumba. Because dancing is a cardiovascular exercise, it promotes weight loss, increased flexibility and overall improved physical performance. The benefits of dancing are not limited to the physiology of the heart.

Dancing is fun! It promotes stress reduction and diminishes the tendencies of depression. On top of that, you get to meet a lot of new friends!

Fortunately, most instances of heart disease, including CAD, are preventable through moderate lifestyle choices and changes as they relate to diet and exercise.

Individuals of all ages and varying health conditions can start taking steps today to strengthen the heart and stave off coronary related issues. Taking action is important. Here are some different ways for strengthening the heart. For those who are in higher risk categories of developing heart disease, you can start working your way towards better heart health through these strengthening practices.

For the majority of people, heart health can be completely controlled. UCF Health offers numerous resources on healthy lifestyle practices, including information on heart-healthy foods, COVID updates for patients , and exercise programs. Welcome Expert Tips on Strengthening Your Heart.

Symptoms of a heart attack often come on suddenly. But sometimes, they develop slowly — hours, days, or even weeks before a heart attack happens. Talk to your doctor if you feel unusually tired for several days, or if you develop any new health problems like pain or trouble breathing.

An ambulance is the best and safest way to get to the hospital. People who call an ambulance often get treated faster at the hospital. And when you call , the operator can tell you what to do until the ambulance gets there. High cholesterol and high blood pressure can cause heart disease and heart attack.

If your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers are high, you can take steps to lower them. Some people will need to get it checked more or less often. Learn more about cholesterol testing.

High blood pressure has no symptoms. Get the facts about blood pressure testing. Your family history affects your risk for heart disease. Share the information with your doctor or nurse. Talk with your doctor to find out if taking aspirin is the right choice for you.

Use these questions to talk with your doctor about statins. Learn more about eating healthy. Heart-healthy items include high-fiber foods whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and certain fats like the fats in olive oil and fish.

Use this shopping list to find heart-healthy foods. For example, ask for a side salad instead of chips or french fries. Get heart-healthy tips for dining out [PDF — 3 MB].

That means 1 drink or less in a day for women and 2 drinks or less in a day for men. Learn more about drinking alcohol only in moderation. Getting regular physical activity can help prevent heart disease.

Adults need at least minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. Try fitting a quick walk into your day.