b'CHAPTER FOUR Living a Heart-Healthy LifeS upplementscan play a pivotal role in cardiovascular healthespecially if youre at a high risk. But your day-to-day habits matter too. A large study in the journal Nutrients reported that unhealthy habits significantly elevate the odds of developing cardiovascular disease, even if you arent genetically predisposed or you dont have a family history of heart disease. Which behaviors have the biggest impact? Diet, exercise, sleep, and how you deal with stress. Lets take a closer look at how you can level up each of these critical lifestyle choices., the most beneficial diet to According to a study that appeared in the journal Advances in Nutritionprevent heart disease is theMediterranean diet . Eating a Mediterranean dietwhich includes lots of vegetables, as well as whole grains, high-quality protein, fruits, and nutsdoesnt just support healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels; it also helps keep artery-damaging inflammation within a healthy range. The best foods in the Mediterranean diet include avocado, beans, dark chocolate, extra virgin olive oil, fish, mushrooms, nuts, oats, and olives.Exercisemay be the magic bullet for optimizing your cardiovascular system. It strengthens your heart muscle, improves circulation, helps your body better utilize oxygen, lowers blood pressure, improves congestive heart failure, and boosts endurance and energy levels. If cardiovascular fitness is your primary reason for being active, focus primarily on aerobic exercise like brisk walking, biking, dancing, jogging, or swimming. But dont forget to add some resistance training like weight lifting. Research shows that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training can help raise HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol.Chronic stress is a classic risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In fact, the INTERHEART studyfound that people living with ongoing stress are at double the risk of having a heart attack. Other studies have linked chronic stress to an increased risk of stroke, especially in women. Routinely practicingrelaxation techniquescan help you stay balanced. Try yoga, meditation, or a massage whenever life threatens to overwhelm you.Sleepis one of the most overlooked ways to maintain heart health. Studies show that the risk of a heart attack goes up significantly in those logging fewer than six hoursor The risk of a heart attackmore than nine hoursa night. A recent study of 3,974 goes up significantlypeople showed that those who slept fewer than six hours had greater preclinical atherosclerosis. But its not just in those logging fewerthe quantity of sleep. Its also the quality. The same study than six hoursor morefound that blood vessel health was worse in those with the than nine hoursofmost fragmented sleep. How much uninterrupted sleep do you need? Experts say that getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night. shut-eye is the sweet spot.12GET HEART HEALTHY'