Optimum Wellness

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― Place your middle and pointer finger on your wrist and feel the rhythmic beat of your pulse. Now take a minute to appreciate and thank your heart for working so hard inside your body to provide you with that steady pulse.

The heart is a highly complex organ. Often considered the organ of love, your heart is responsible for much more than providing you with the warm fuzzies. It is the principal organ that keeps you alive by pumping blood into all parts of your body; most importantly to your lungs to produce oxygen.

If your heart is functioning well, you may rarely take the time to think about it, but the reality is that heart disease, an umbrella term that covers a range of diseases of the heart, is the leading cause of death throughout the world. An estimated 500,000 people a year die from heart disease in the US alone and that number is increasing.

As part of our effort to increase awareness of February being heart health awareness month, we invite you to start (or continue!) to take a proactive approach to the health of your heart. Instead of waiting till there is a problem, take action now in protecting that wonderful heart of yours.

Eight Easy Ways to Protect Your Heart
1. If you smoke-STOP!: Smoking cigarettes is a leading cause and accelerator of heart disease. It damages and puts an exorbitant amount of unneeded pressure on your heart. Just to name a FEW of the harmful effects of smoking: smoking increases heart muscle demand by ten percent making your heart need to work much harder, reduces coronary artery flow making it more difficult for blood to get to your organs, compromises your ability to clot blood, and hardens your arteries.

2. Eat a heart healthy diet: The food you eat has a strong impact on the health of your heart. Foods high in saturated fats such as cheeses, hydrogenated oils, and red meats increase your LDL, or "bad", cholesterol and clog your arteries which puts you at a greater risk of heart disease. On the other hand, foods such as whole grains, vegetables, beans, greens, fruits, fish, seeds, olive oil, plain yogurt, garlic and even cinnamon do wonders for your heart by reducing bad cholesterol and increasing HDL or "good" cholesterol.

3. Get moving: Like any other muscle in your body, your heart needs exercise. By doing moderate exercise 30 minutes a day you are greatly reducing your chance of heart disease by strengthening your heart's ability to pump blood effectively and with less effort. If 30 minutes a day is daunting for you, start off slowly by adding small amounts of physical activity into your day such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking/biking instead of driving whenever possible.

4. Limit your salt intake: High levels of salt can cause high blood pressure which then increases your risk of heart disease. Try to limit your salt intake by becoming more aware of sodium levels. Always check nutritional facts for canned soups, frozen meals, crackers, and even cereals as these food items often have an extremely high sodium content.

5. Get regular screenings: Your heart can be damaged by high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, but most of the time people aren't in tune with these levels. Getting regular screenings once every two years can help your doctor catch any unhealthy levels and lower them before they do permanent damage to your heart.

6. Keep a healthy weight: Having excess body weight takes a toll on your heart because it has to work harder to be effective. Obesity can cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which lead to heart disease. Even small drops in weight can significantly protect you from heart disease. If you are overweight, start small by aiming to lose just a few pounds every month.

7. Eat seaweeds: Seaweed, often found in the form of seaweed salad in the Japanese tradition, is a super-food when it comes to protecting your heart. Seaweeds stabilize blood pressure, regulate cholesterol, dissolve fatty build-ups in the blood vessels, restore cardiac efficiency and prolong the life of the heart muscle, and they encourage a steady heartbeat.

8. Manage emotional stress: Not only does emotional stress put undue pressure on your entire system, but it causes many people to increase habits such as drinking and smoking which have a huge impact on the health of your heart. Consider dealing with emotional stress with heart healthy solutions such as yoga, deep breathing and exercise.

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