Did you know that your heart loves to exercise? It’s true! Exercise keeps your heart healthy just like foods that are low in saturated fat.  Ask yourself the following questions and see how you can improve your heart health.

Do you find that you don’t exercise because you don’t have enough time?

Experts say that teens should exercise about 60 minutes most days of the week. Are you yawning? Wait-here’s the good news! You don’t have to do it all at once and you don’t have to go to a gym, unless you want to. You just have to take a moment to see how you can fit exercise into your day. Walking to school, biking, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and playing an afterschool sport all count! If you don’t play a sport, find something you like to do such as— jumping rope, running, skateboarding, skating, yoga, or swimming and dancing. Your heart will love you for it!

Do you smoke?

Besides exercising, one of the easiest things you can do for your heart is to NEVER smoke.  If you don’t try it, you can’t get addicted.  If you are a smoker, you should think about quitting.  Even young people have serious health problems, including heart problems, as a result of smoking.  The same goes for alcohol which can raise your blood pressure and is also bad for your heart.

Now that you know more about healthy eating, exercise and not smoking, you can start making small changes to keep your heart healthy. Click on the links below to learn more.

Links to:

How to Fit Exercise into Your Busy Schedule

Cigarette Smoking

How to Quit Smoking

-Lori