Heart: We always talk about diet, exercise, not smoking. And yes, they are habits that lengthen life, but there are other details of our day to day that may seem secondary and, instead, hide enormous benefits.
1. Laugh a Lot
The benefits of laughter therapy are more than proven and not just for the brain. laughter has a vasodilator action. When you laugh out loud, the blood vessels (endothelium) relax, improving circulation, and lowering blood pressure.
2. Find Hobbies
Painting, patchwork, gardening, dancing
When you enjoy doing something, you generate endorphins, disconnect from problems, and remove stress. And all of this acts as the best health pill for your heart.
3. Be Altruistic
Selflessly helping others, without rewards or applause, improves cardiovascular health. This has been shown by a study published in the journal JAMA.
The reason for such benefit is that hormones such as oxytocin are released, which provide well-being and increase our protective instinct, both towards others and towards ourselves.
4. Don’t Be Alone
In the United States, they call older people super-ager who stay in shape mentally and physically. Studies have been carried out on this population group, and the conclusion that scientists have reached is that they all have something in common: they practice social relationships.
This acts as a stimulus for the neurons, making them work constantly, and as a motivation not to neglect their health: play sports, eat well, not smoke Good things for the heart.
5. Think Positive
It is the essence of everything because optimism thrives on positivity.
To do this, flee from defeatist thoughts (they do not lead you anywhere, recreate your discomfort), and focus your energies on what you can do (instead of constantly thinking about what is not within your reach).
6. Practice Meditation
It has both a physical and a psychological effect.
- On the one hand, experiencing deep relaxation with the aid of conscious breathing lowers blood pressure.
- But not only that, meditation is a great help to combat stress because it helps to disconnect.
a. Optimistic Heart, Healthy Heart
There are two allies, two talismans, that protect your heart because they push you to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. One of them is exercise. The other is optimism.
It is logical that when we feel happy, we are more motivated to diet, not drink alcohol, go to the gym every day. Still, optimism generates “good behaviors” in us, but it also produces a series of chemical reactions that act as a shield cardiovascular.
b. Scientifically Proven
A study published by the American Psychological Association that followed over 7,000 volunteers for 5 years found that the most enthusiastic had a lower risk of coronary heart disease. And the most curious thing is that this protective effect was independent of their lifestyle.
c. This is How Happiness Protects You
It seems that this protective effect is due to the hormones that are secreted when we have positive emotions.
In the same way that stress, such as adrenaline, can accelerate atherosclerosis and increase inflammation in the body, the so-called happiness hormones (dopamine, serotonin, or endorphins) produce when experiencing pleasant sensations, help to keep the heart functioning in balance.