Maintain a Healthy Heart

Exercise and Diet

To promote and maintain a healthy heart, there are various methods you can employ. Exercise is very important and can have a large impact on overall sate of your cardiovascular condition. Your diet is also absolutely essential in ensuring you have a healthy heart and that it is always operating at optimal levels.

Food

Everything consumed will have some kind of effect on how a healthy heart can be sustained. If you are in a relatively good condition, your best bet will be to stick to a rigid exercise regime as well as the food pyramid plan which is widely accepted as the main diet for maintaining a healthy heart.

In essence, a healthy heart can be obtained and maintained through eating foods that include plentiful amounts of brown rice, brown pasta, wholegrain bread and cereals. It is a good idea to consume a round 6-11 small portions of each of these a day.

The next stage up on the pyramid includes vegetables which it is recommended that you should eat 3-5 times a day. Further up on the pyramid is the fruit group of which you should try to eat about 2-4 servings per day.

Dairy

Milk yogurts and cheeses comprise this ext group of dairy products of which you should aim to restrict consumption to only 2-3 helpings daily.

The second highest group within this pyramid scheme is the protein group. This group includes fish, meat, poultry and eggs amongst other things. A mere 2-3 servings are sufficient for daily consumption. At the pinnacle of the food pyramid is the group which contains, inter alia oils and fats.

Anything from this group should only be eaten in very small quantities.

Best Exercise

The best types of exercise for achieving these goals include anything that makes you sweat and your chest pounding at accelerated rates. During exercise, your pulse should be between 75-85% of your maximum heart rate. Anything lower than this will be ineffective for benefiting you and rates exceeding these levels will only prove to be harmful to your body.

The exercise should be intense without causing discomfort and as a minimum, should be undertaken no less than three times per week for optimal results. Smoking, drinking alcohol excessively (one glass per day is usually advisable) or any drug intake is to be avoided.