How to Have a Young Heart

Keeping your heart young and healthy can help you lead a full life. A positive outlook, friends and laughter can keep you young at heart, but to slow down the effects of aging on your heart, you will need to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. Studies abound on how to improve or maintain cardiovascular health. These include common sense methods, such as exercise; some natural techniques, like meditation; and even surprising tips, like drinking red wine.

Instructions

• 1

  Walking is a good form of exercise to help the heart.

  Exercise. According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), at least 30 minutes of daily exercise helps you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure. These key factors help keep your heart healthier and younger. Remember to always check with your physician before starting any exercise program.

• 2

  Fresh vegetables provide great nutrition for the body and heart.

  Eat heart-healthy foods. The CDC points out that diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, high in fiber and low in saturated fats can help keep bad cholesterol away from your heart and out of your system. Cholesterol is one factor leading to clogged arteries, which leads to heart disease.

• 3

  Resveratrol, found in red wine, has been shown to help heart health.

  Drink red wine. According to Science Daily, an international team of researchers found that low doses of the chemical, resveratrol, found in grapes, red wine and other foods "has been shown to extend lifespan and blunt the effects of aging." Researchers said even small doses of resveratrol are "a robust intervention in the retardation of cardiac aging." Drinking red wine, in moderation of course, can help your heart stay young.

• 4

  Meditation helps relieve stress and can bring down blood pressure.

  Meditate. Avoiding stress is often impossible, but reducing stress is possible. The Transcendental Meditation Program published a list of the top 100 studies on meditation. Researchers found reducing stress through meditation can help lower blood pressure, decrease cholesterol and reduce atherosclerosis.

• 5

  Stopping smoking helps more than just your heart stay young.

  Stop smoking. The American Heart Association points out that, "smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the tendency for blood to clot. Smoking also increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery." Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, many due to heart attacks or cardiovascular disease related directly to smoking.