Healthy Heart. Happy Life.

by: Vickie Telbert

Get Your Heart A-pumping

As we reach middle age we're suddenly aware that we're not immortal. In fact, our bodies are very delicate and need lots of TLC. Most of us, however, in our youth don't give things like arteries a second thought. We live life to the full and then we find that we're suddenly overweight, leading stressful lives and not particularly healthy.

The good news, however, is that whatever the state of your body and your general health, it's never too late. By simply looking at three aspects of your life you can radically change your health and, probably, your outlook on life. If you feel lethargic and miserable every day you're not going to enjoy life, you're not going to attract the types of people who you want to be with and who are good for you and life will just be a dull shade of grey. So, take action! Remember that life is short and if you're going to look back and feel that you've achieved something, you need to make every moment count.

1. Start exercising. The heart needs to work hard at least three times a week. Not only will exercise help this fundamental of all your muscles, but it has many side effects like relieving stress, helping sleep and burning calories. Just start by walking briskly and breathing deeply. Depending on where you're starting from will depend how far you go and how fast. Understand when your body tries to speak to you and don't push yourself. If you can feel your heart violently thumping away the exercise isn't doing you any good. Exercise is built up over months and months so don't be impatient. When you can do a couple of miles without being totally exhausted you could move on to swimming or cycling. Alternatively, you could discover the delights of owning a dog and sharing walks with your devoted companion! Animals are also an excellent way of calming yourself and lowering your blood pressure. It's been proved that stroking a gentle pet is therapeutic for both the elderly and for those who have severe psychological problems. In fact, it does us all good to share moments with a creature that never judges and is always pleased to see us.

2. The next thing you have to do is to look at what you eat. You must have heard that there are good fats and bad fats and the bad fats clog up our arteries just like a drain pipe. If you are in doubt, remember that animal fats are basically bad and not necessary to a good diet. There are two camps of vegetarians

About The Author Vickie Telbert is the owner and editor of www.heartofus.com, a premier resource for heart health information on the Internet. For more information following this article please pay a visit. http://www.heartofus.com

Vitamins Keep Your Heart Fighting Fit

by: Perry Stamide

Vitamins are essential to keep your heart healthy. Of

course, you need to eat the right foods with less fat and

cholesterol, but you need to supplement your food with

vitamins to keep your body in the best shape and your heart

pumping for a long time.

Vitamin E is the first vitamin that pops into the mind of

those that are looking to improve their overall heart

health. Vitamin E seems to stop cholesterol in the body

from oxidizing and harming the arteries surrounding the

heart. When cholesterol oxidizes, it's more able to stick

to the sides of the arteries and cause buildup and possible

blockage that can lead to heart attacks and other

infarctions.

Doctors often recommend additional supplements of vitamin E.

Or, they suggest you include more foods rich in vitamin E in

your diet. Nuts, like almonds, for example, are a terrific

way to get your daily dose of vitamin E.

Vitamin E also seems to be showing a lot of promise for

those patients that have already suffered a heart attack.

The vitamin seems to prevent additional heart attacks by

encouraging the arteries to be more 'open' and less

conducive to blockage.

Doctors are of the opinion that supplements of Vitamin C can

help boost the effect of Vitamin E and make it work even

better. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to prevent

the damaging effects of cholesterol, and at the same time it

assists Vitamin E in its beneficial effects.

If you take vitamins E and C together, you are on your way

to creating a healthier heart and better artery function.

This is the easiest way to ensure the health of your heart,

especially if you have a history of heart disease or you are

concerned about the risk to your heart.

So how much should you take? Well, ideal doses may vary from

patient to patient, but 400IU (international units) of

vitamin E seems to work well for most people. Vitamin C is

tolerable in higher doses without harmful effects. You can

safely take 500miligram of vitamin C twice a day, mornings

and evenings, to help keep your heart fighting fit.

And studies are backing up this additional step in your day.

Talk with your doctor in case you are on any medications for

there are some that will interact or need to be taken at

different times to be more effective.

A good, nutritious eating plan is the ideal way to get your

daily doses of vitamins. But taking additional supplements

is sensible, and recommended and if you're trying to boost

your heart health.

About The Author
Perry Stamide runs the web site Fed Vitamins, which is a premier resource for vitamins on the Net.
For more details please visit: http://www.fedvitamins.com.