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I was in my early 20s when it dawned on me that I needed to start taking care of myself, if I wanted to be healthy. Although my diet of McDonald’s hamburgers and Diet Coke was the bomb, it wasn’t the best for me. So, I embarked on a life change. If you’ve read my blog at all over the last four years, this isn’t news to you – I’m always trying new workouts, foods and tactics to live my best life. Lately, I’ve tried a few new things that not only have made me feel good, they just so happen to be pretty darn good for my heart. 

Five Things You Can Do For Better Heart Health

1.Exercise!

You knew I was going say that didn’t you? Y’all know I love my workouts. The standard recommendation for fitness is to aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 days a week. You can shorten the time of your workouts if the intensity bumps up to vigorous, like a breathless, HIIT workout or spin class! My favorite things to do are dance, run, walk and jump rope. I’ve also really been into yoga lately, which I didn’t think I would ever say. I used to loathe it, but I’ve found many yoga routines that are really challenging. Back to jumping rope, that’s new to me also.

I get bored easily, so it’s best if I mix things up. When I first started jumping rope, it wasn’t the fun and games I remembered as a kid, it is hard! Not only is it cardiovascular, it’s great for your legs. I like to mix it up with different speeds and add in traditional exercises like lunges, squats and planks.

Below is a 15 minute example of a routine I will do with a jump rope. Sometimes I’ll do it twice to meet the 30 minute recommendation or I’ll add in something else, like yoga. 

2. Eat a Heart Healthy Breakfast:

Breakfast sets the stage for the rest of the day, so I always try to make that one healthy! Erica is a Registered Dietitian, so I always left all of the nutrition talk to her on the blog. She wrote a post a couple of years ago about eating for better heart health, check that out for all of the details! One of my heart healthy breakfasts that I eat nearly every day is oatmeal, or overnight oats. My favorite combination is:

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• dash of cinnamon

I cook the oats first according to the package with almond milk and then I mix in the rest. 

Overnight Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

Mix everything together and put in a mason jar, then chill overnight. 

3. Take a Daily Fish Oil Supplement

Omega 3s help support a healthy heart.† They’re found in foods like fish, flaxseed, chia seeds and canola oil. I try to get my nutrition from food first (thanks to Erica’s advice) but since I’m not always perfect at what I eat, I like taking a supplement too. I take a multivitamin and Nature Made® Fish Oil 1200mg One Per Day, daily. I’m no expert, but I figure the more I can do for my health, the better. Nature Made® supports leading heart health experts who recommend eating 250 – 500 mg of EPA/DHA per day to help support a healthy heart. “Recommend” amount equates to a calculation based on approximately 1,750 – 3,500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids EPA/DHA found in 2 servings of fatty fish per week. Plus Nature Made® Fish Oil 1200mg One Per Day is purified to remove mercury. State-of-the-art purification processes remove PCBs, dioxins and furans, and mercury to ensure purity levels below 0.09 ppm, 2 ppt WHO TEQs, and 0.1 ppm respectively. Nature Made® fish oil supply only comes from wild caught ocean fish, not farm raised fish.

No Color Added, No Artificial Flavors, No Yeast or Starch, Gluten Free. Anything that can help my heart health is a good thing to me! I picked up my Nature Made® Fish Oil at Walmart. Among too many other things, Walmart is one of those places I wander around and buy random stuff. Anyone else?!

4. Stress Less

I feel like everyone I talk to is stressed and struggles with anxiety. Not necessarily in a clinical sense, but just being in an anxious state. I don’t know about you, but I spend way too much time making up worst case scenarios and getting myself totally anxious and overwhelmed. I know that stress and anxiety is not only pretty unenjoyable, it’s also not good for your health. A few months ago I made a conscious effort to get myself out of a stress spiral. When I started to feel overwhelmed by worst case scenarios or things I couldn’t control, I distracted myself. I started to busy my mind with positive things instead of letting bad thoughts get me down. I read books, or even did something constructive like clean out my closet when I started to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes busying myself just takes my focus off of the issue and helps me relax. Anyone else?

5. Less Caffeine:

I can’t even believe I’m adding this in, I love my coffee. However, too much caffeine not only keeps me up at night, it makes me feel pretty blah and isn’t good for my heart. So, although I haven’t eliminated caffeine, I’ve been trying to consume less. I’ll let you know how it goes, lol. 

If you ask me, any little thing you can do to better your health, is a good thing! What about you? Do any of these things come up in your daily routine too?

-Brooke