Your risk of dying raises by nine per cent for every extra 10 heart beats per minute. Here’s how to look after yours.
1. Bust The Mic
Be the Jay Z to her Beyonce. A Swedish study found that singing improves your heart rate variability, making you resilient to cardiac arrest.
2. See The Light
Direct sun exposure boosts BP-lowering nitric oxide. Roll up your sleeves for a quick hit. (Investigative Dermatology)
3. Cut The Cheese
Dairy fans are less likely to have bad cholesterol, say Bordeaux researchers (quelle surprise). Vintage red optional.
4. Eat Sweets
Upping your daily potassium by 1000mg slashes 420mg, but sweet potatoes win out with 540mg per baked spud. (American Medical Association)
5. Sink Pressure
Burnt-out men can halve their risk of stress-induced heart attacks by swimming twice a week, say Swiss scientists.
6. Cop A Lungful
Take six deep breaths in 30sec to lower BP by up to 4 points. (Hypertension Research)
7. Stay Strong
Quit the midweek HIIT class: lifting heavy is a better way to expand your blood vessels. (Journal of S&C Research)
8. Add Depth
Squats raise good cholesterol; deep squats see it skyrocket. (Journal of Hypertension)
9. Ride For Life
Finish gym sessions on the static bike. The motion makes your arteries more flexible. (Journal of Hypertension)
10. Be A Beta Male
Eat orange foods: they pack heart healthy beta-carotene. Think squashes, not Wotsits. (Journal of Hypertension)
11. Hit tThe Road
The plant-turned-pill rhodiola rosea curbs stress and keeps your heart muscle strong. (Ethnopharmacology)
12. Hear No Evil
For each 10dB of traffic noise outside the house, your heart attack risk rises by up to 10%. Plug up your ears at night. (Danish Cancer Society)
13. Find Cod
The MH religion has one tenet: eat cod regularly (its protein is special) to drown our heart-damaging CRP. (Journal of Nutrition)
14. Track Sabbath
On Sundays, bring HIIT back. Alternate 15-30sec jogging/sprinting for a healthier lipid profile. Enjoy the blood rush. (Journal of S&C Research)
15. Budget Squeeze
A month of hand-grip training lowers BP by 10%. Try 4x2min tennis ball squeezes, perhaps while listening to the Chancellor speak.
Credit to Men’s Health for these useful tips!
