Pill-Free Ways to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk - Health Stato

                       Pill-Free Ways to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk - Health Stato 

                       Pill-Free Ways to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk - Health Stato 

Go for a Walk

Just 40 minutes three or four times a week (or 25 minutes of harder exercise, like jogging) can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight. You don’t have to do it all at once. Even 10 minutes at a time is great for your heart. Take the dog or meet a friend at the park. If you’re new to working out or just getting back into it, start slow. Talk to your doctor to see if you’re healthy enough for exercise.

Meet a Friend for Lunch

Your buddy can do your heart good literally. Research has shown that being alone, or perhaps more importantly feeling alone, is as bad for your heart as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, or not exercising. It’s not how often you see people that matters, but how connected you feel to others. So make some plans with an old friend. Or join a club and meet some new ones.

Eat More Fruits and Veggies

The nutrients and fiber (and low calories and fat) make them heart-healthy. But they also have antioxidants, which may help protect your cells from damage that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. Try to work different colors of produce into your diet. You can also add them to foods you already enjoy, like loading pizza with veggies or adding fruit to a bowl of cereal.

Snack on Nuts

The fiber, unsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids in nuts may help your body cut down on inflammation, “bad” LDL cholesterol, and plaque buildup in blood vessels -- all linked to heart disease. They also might protect against blood clots that cause strokes. The type of nuts you choose probably doesn't matter much, but don’t overdo it -- they have lots of calories. About 4 small handfuls a week of unsalted nuts should do it.

Serve Up Salmon

Two servings a week of fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, or tuna may help your heart health. Part of it may be the omega-3 fatty acids in the fish, but other nutrients may also help. There's debate about farmed vs. wild-caught salmon. Some say wild fish are lower in contaminants like chemicals and antibiotics. Others point out that laws regulate the growth and harvesting of U.S.-farmed Atlantic salmon. Supplements may not have the same benefits.

Move Beyond the Gym

It’s not just a single daily workout that lowers your odds of heart disease, it’s how active you are all day long. Even if you have an exercise routine, being a couch potato the rest of the day can still be harmful to your health. Gardening, playing with your kids, walking to the bus, and even cleaning house are great ways to stay up and moving.