3 Simple Swaps for Better Heart Health

Busy people may find it difficult to take heart-healthy steps. These simple swaps can help.

On busy days, it's difficult to focus on heart health. It just feels like you don't have time for habits that keep your ticker in top shape - like regular exercise, enough sleep and a healthy diet. So maybe you take the stairs when you can, or park further away from a store to get a few extra steps in every day. But what else can you do? Here are three things that might fit into your schedule.

Swap electronic communication for a face-to-face meeting

It's okay if texting, email, social media, or Zoom calls are your primary means of communicating with others. But it's not OK if these methods make you feel lonely or isolated - two problems that are linked to a higher risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association in theJournal of the American Heart Association.

To combat loneliness and isolation, try replacing some of your electronic back-and-forth with people meeting in person. Maybe you can find room in your schedule for a quick walk, a cup of coffee, or a quick lunch with a friend or colleague.

"Time spent face-to-face helps you connect with others and may make you feel less isolated," explains Matthew Lee, a sociologist and research fellow at Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program. “Physical co-presence can help you feel more connected to others, more valued, and more likely to feel a sense of shared identity—all things that can help alleviate loneliness,” including suggesting that people engage in volunteer work and other activities that build face-to-face social connections.

A recently published study in theInternational Journal of Public Healthby Lee and a team of researchers led by Harvard suggests that better social connectedness may reduce the risk of a diagnosis of depression or anxiety. Both are linked to heart disease or worsen existing heart disease.

Swap an unhealthy breakfast for a healthier one

Is your typical breakfast something quick and full of refined (not whole) grains, processed meats, saturated fat, or added sugar? Regular consumption of this type of food can increase calories, weight, blood sugar or cholesterol levels - and that's not good for your heart.

Instead, choose breakfast foods that are rich in fiber, a type of carbohydrate that either passes through the body undigested (insoluble fiber) or breaks down into a gel (soluble fiber) that coats the intestines.

Fiber not only helps with digestion, but also

• fallen, wischt auf und senkt schlecht [LDL] Cholesterin, das zu verstopften Arterien führen kann
• kontrolliert den Blutzucker und senkt das Risiko für Diabetes, der stark mit Herzinfarkten und Schlaganfällen in Verbindung gebracht wird
• kann helfen, chronische Entzündungen zu bekämpfen, die eine Rolle bei der Verstopfung von Arterien und der Verursachung von Herzinfarkten spielen.

Fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains (oats, barley, quinoa) and many other foods are rich in fiber. Try these high-fiber breakfast ideas:

• Mikrowellen-Haferflocken (erhitzen Sie eine 1/2 Tasse Haferflocken mit fast einer Tasse fettarmer Milch für etwa zwei Minuten)
• eine Portion gekochter Quinoa (kalt, wenn Sie ihn in Ihrem Kühlschrank haben) mit einem Klecks fettfreiem griechischem Joghurt, Beeren und Müsli
• Vollkornmüsli mit Milch (wählen Sie Müsli mit den höchsten Vollkornanteilen und dem geringsten Zuckerzusatz)
• eine Scheibe Vollkorntoast mit zwei Esslöffeln Nussbutter (wie Mandel- oder Erdnussbutter)
• eine oder zwei Handvoll hausgemachter Studentenfutter (verwenden Sie Ihre bevorzugten ungesalzenen Nüsse, Sonnenblumenkerne und Trockenfrüchte wie Rosinen oder Aprikosen).

Swap a few minutes of scrolling time for meditation time

If you ever take a break from your busy day to scroll through the news on your phone or computer, you probably also find a little time to meditate, which is important for heart health. Research shows that people who meditate are less likely to have high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and coronary heart disease compared to people who don't meditate.

What is the connection? Meditating triggers the body's relaxation response, a well-studied physiological change that appears to help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen consumption, adrenaline levels, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

The good news: It doesn't take much time to reap the heart-healthy benefits of meditation - just about 10 to 20 minutes per day.

Ideas for quick meditation on a busy day include sitting quietly, closing your eyes, and

• Konzentrieren Sie sich auf Ihre Atmung, ohne die Geräusche, die Sie hören, oder die Gedanken, die Ihnen in den Sinn kommen, zu beurteilen
• Hören Sie sich eine geführte Meditation an, die mentale Bilder verwendet, um Ihnen zu helfen, sich zu entspannen
• Hören Sie sich eine Aufnahme mit beruhigenden Geräuschen wie Wellen, einem sprudelnden Bach oder sanftem Regen an.

Just try to quiet your brain for a few minutes a day. Soon, you may find that you have become better at meditating and better at practicing other heart-healthy habits, no matter how busy you are.