About cardiovascular health.

Maintaining cardiovascular health is vital for the body’s overall wellness. Since the heart works tirelessly to pump blood and supply oxygen throughout the body, it needs proper care to function efficiently. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that heart disease remains one of the top causes of death worldwide. However, adopting simple lifestyle adjustments can greatly lower the risk and support a healthier heart.

This blog highlights the significance of heart health and suggests practical lifestyle habits to keep your cardiovascular system strong.

The Connection Between Diet and Heart Health

The link between diet and heart health is clear. Poor eating habits, such as consuming too many processed foods, high sodium, and unhealthy fats, can contribute to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease. In contrast, consuming nutrient-rich foods can enhance the health of your heart, decrease inflammation, and improve blood flow. A balanced diet is one of the best methods to control blood pressure levels and lower the burden on your heart.

Small changes can make a big impact. Follow a 5-step heart-healthy eating pattern to help you achieve this balance:

1. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit and wholegrains 

These foods contain lots of vitaminsand minerals, fibre and antioxidants, and have been shown to reduce heart disease risk. Wholegrain foods, like brown rice, wholemeal pasta, grainy bread and oats, are high in fibre and can help lower your cholesterol.

2. Include a variety of healthy protein-rich foods

The best options are plant-based proteins like legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as fish and seafood. Include smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry and limit lean red meat to 1-3 times a week. Read more about why some proteins are better than others and how much and how often you should be including them in your eating pattern. 

3. Choose unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese

These foods don’t increase or decrease your risk of heart disease, but can be an important source of calcium, protein, and other minerals. Unflavoured varieties with no added sugar are the healthiest options. If you have heart disease or high cholesterol, choose reduced-fat varieties. For those who don’t, you can choose between reduced-fat or full-fat options.  Read about the different types of dairy food and their impact on heart health.

4. Include healthy fats and oils

Choose foods with high amounts of healthy fats like avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, and use healthy oils for cooking, like olive, canola, sunflower, peanut and soybean oil. These foods can help lower your cholesterol. If you eat fish, try to have it 2-3 times a week to benefit from heart-healthy omega-3 fats, which help lower triglycerides in the blood and reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats.  

5. Use herbs and spices to flavour foods instead of salt

Eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease. On average, Australians eat nearly double the recommended maximum of five grams of salt each day [5], mainly from processed and packaged foods like canned foods, deli meats and baked goods. The easiest way to reduce salt is to choose fresh, unprocessed foods like fruits and vegetables, and flavour meals with herbs and spice, Reading food labels can help you make healthier choices when choosing packaged foods. Read more about salt and your heart health.

Stop smoking

1. Does Smoking Contribute to Heart Disease?

Yes, smoking cigarettes can harm nearly any part of your body, including your heart and blood vessels

When breathed in, the toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals1 in cigarette smoke can interfere with important processes in your body that keep it functioning normally. One of these processes is the delivery of oxygen-rich blood to your heart and the rest of your body.

When you breathe, your lungs take in oxygen and deliver it to your heart, which pumps this oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body through the blood vessels. 

But when you breathe in cigarette smoke, the blood that is distributed to the rest of the body becomes contaminated with the smoke’s chemicals. These chemicals can damage your heart and blood vessels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease [CVD]

2. How Can I Quit Smoking to Protect My Heart? 

Although quitting smoking is difficult, it is achievable. 

FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) may be able to help you on your quit journey. NRTs are proven safe and effective to help you quit smoking by delivering measured amounts of nicotine without the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke.

Many people who smoke find that FDA-approved NRTs help them get through the first steps of quitting by reducing cravings and symptoms of withdrawal. 

If you smoke cigarettes and are concerned about your heart and cardiovascular health, consult with your health care provider about NRTs or other ways to quit and help prepare your heart.

Physical activity and your heart

1. Physical activity strengthens your heart and improves lung function

When done regularly, moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity strengthens your heart muscle. This improves your heart's ability to pump blood to your lungs and throughout your body. As a result, more blood flows to your muscles, and oxygen levels in your blood rise.

Capillaries, your body's tiny blood vessels, also widen. This allows them to deliver more oxygen to your body and carry away waste products.

2. Physical activity reduces heart attack risk

For people with coronary heart disease, regular aerobic activity helps the heart function better. It may also reduce the risk of a second heart attack in people who have already had heart attacks.

Vigorous aerobic activity may not be safe for people who have heart disease. Ask your doctor which activities are safe for you. They can provide more information on recommended physical activities and steps to begin adding them to your routine.

Sleep is good for your Heart

Sleep isn’t just a way to pass the time. It’s essential to health, right through to your heart.  

1. How sleep impacts the heart 

Sleep intertwines with other factors that impact cardiovascular health, so it’s always been an element.  

People who do not get enough sleep are also more likely to develop high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing heart disease.

Research from Columbia scientists shows that even relatively mild sleep problems can cause inflammation in the endothelial cells that line the veins, which could significantly contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.

Too much sleep can cause problems, too, though the reasons are still undetermined. The current hypothesis is that excess sleep itself is not harmful, but people who sleep more than nine hours per night are likely to have depression or other illnesses that impact the heart. 

2. Consistency of sleep is vital to heart health  

The heart likes consistent sleep, according to some of the most recent research on sleep and heart health. In a study that followed older adults for five years, those with the most irregular sleep schedules were nearly twice as likely to develop heart disease as those with more regular sleep patterns. 

It’s not known why going off a regular sleep schedule (with consistent bed and wake times) affects the heart, but sleep inconsistency may disturb the body’s circadian rhythms. Heart rate, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular functions vary with the time of day and may become disrupted by inconsistent sleep.

Stress management can help keep your heart healthy

1. Impact of stress on your heart

Recognizing the impact of stress on heart health underscores the importance of stress management. Implementing stress-reduction techniques can significantly benefit cardiovascular well-being. Strategies like mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, regular physical activity, and fostering strong social connections have been shown to alleviate stress and promote heart health. Expert guidance from a leading heart hospital can provide holistic programs that address both physical and emotional well-being.

2. Healthy stress reducing activities

1. Talking to a professional counsellor
2. Participating in a stress management program
3. Practicing meditation
4. Being physically active
5. Trying relaxation techniques
6. Talking with friends, family, and community or religious support systems

Limiting alcohol

1. Impacts

Drinking too much alcohol can:

1. Raise blood pressure
2. Increase cardiomyopathy, stroke, cancer and other diseases
3. Contribute to high triglycerides
4. Cause irregular heartbeats
5. Contribute to obesity, alcoholism, suicide and accidents

2. Prevention and monitoring

keeping a keen eye on health and scheduling an appointment with a doctor if experiencing "shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting, high blood pressure, swelling in the legs or leg pain, or chest pain or discomfort."

Key risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, being overweight or obese, eating an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol use, and family history of heart disease.

3. Making healthy choices

When it comes to alcohol consumption, less is more for heart health. The latest research continues to demonstrate that even moderate drinking carries risks, and these risks increase significantly with higher consumption levels. 

Tell your doctor about how much you drink and work with them to protect your heart. Being honest and proactive can keep your heart healthy. Early intervention and prevention remain the best strategies for maintaining a healthy heart.

Final Thoughts

The heart truly is the engine of our lives, and taking care of it should never be an afterthought. By staying alert to risks, paying attention to warning signs, and making small lifestyle choices—like staying active, eating well, managing stress, and getting regular check-ups —we can protect ourselves from many severe heart conditions. These little habits add up to a big difference over time. Take charge of your heart health today — start with small, consistent changes that make a big difference. 

Ready to begin your heart-healthy journey? Connect with VivaVel for expert guidance and trusted care.