A great goal in life is to make sure you properly strengthen your heart health. The following are key numbers linked to great heart health.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, which is why heart health should be a priority. In fact, there are key factors and numbers that may indicate how your heart health is doing overall.
“For my patients, I typically look at their blood pressure, blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides values, and their waist circumference,” says Harvard Heart Letter editor-in-chief Dr. Deepak L. Bhatt. According to Bhatt, these key numbers let you know what factors need to be addressed to reduce your heart risk.
The following are the ideal values for each measurement and how you can improve them.
1. Blood Pressure
You should ideally keep your blood pressure numbers at less than 120/80 mm Hg and reduce your hypertension risk. To help lower your levels, you can eat a diet that is rich in potassium and low in sodium.
2. Cholesterol
It’s important that you have low LDL cholesterol levels (less than 100 mg/dL) as these cause poor circulation. You can do this by limiting your saturated fat intake and also replacing them with unsaturated fat like nuts.
3. Triglycerides
In addition to your LDL cholesterol, you should maintain low triglyceride levels (ideally at less than 150 mg/dL). To do so, you can limit foods that are high in unhealthy fats and sugars while also eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Blood Sugar
Since high blood sugar is what defines diabetes, you should maintain your levels at less than 100 mg/dL. Besides avoiding any sugary food products, you can eat whole, unprocessed grains instead of refined grains.
5. Waist Circumference
Your waist circumference should either be less than half your height in inches or less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men – whichever is lower. Things that help include consuming fewer calories and avoiding highly processed foods that are full of sugar and salt.
The Outlook
These five numbers can give you an overview of your heart health and where you need to focus to improve. There are various things you can do to reach these ideal numbers and strengthen your heart.
For example, you can eat a healthy, plant-based diet and exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes per day. You can also make sure you get enough restful sleep at night and learn how to manage your stress levels.
Finally, you can give yourself an extra boost by taking a supplement like HeartBeet Complete. By combining beet powder with various healthy ingredients, it can promote your circulation and heart health.
If you’re ready to support your heart health, then pay attention to these numbers and take HeartBeet Complete.