Good cardiovascular health does not just happen, you have to make it happen. Thus, you need clear guidelines about this, to show you what you should do, the American Heart Association has put forth goals that everyone must strive to meet if they aim to enjoy proper heart health. Thankfully, these goals are simple to adhere to, since they are mostly what a doctor would advise you at the hospital to do to enjoy great heart health. You will also find it easy to inculcate them to your daily life, that is, if you are very determined.

What are these heart health goals?

Optimum body mass index (BMI)

This is a ratio of height to weight.  Thus, BMI is a way to find out whether you are underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese. It is very simple to do this calculation too. For example, you just need to take your weight in kilograms, divide by your height in meters and then divide that answer by your height again. That is your BMI. If it is below 18.5, you are underweight. If it is 18.5 to 24.9, you have healthy weight. If it is 25 to 29.9, then you are overweight and if it is 30 and above, you are so obese.

You have never smoked or it is at least 12 months since you stopped

We guess that the 12-month measure here is that after you have not smoked for the last one year, then you are not likely to start again. If you have not started smoking, do not start, ever.

Exercise regularly every week

The AHA recommends that everyone should exercise for a minimum of 75 minutes every week. These should be a vigorous 75 minutes of working out, maybe with weights or maybe hard running on the treadmill. If you cannot manage this, then you should do 150 minutes of average-demand exercises every week.

Your diet is very important too

Revamp your diet, start getting 450 calories or less from sugar every week. Then, take fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Take fish more than two times a week too. If this is a sacrifice, that is because good weight and a healthy heart requires you to forego a lot of things.

Maintain your blood pressure at below 120/80

Remember, you need to do this without using medication. One of the ways to do that is to keep stress at bay. You also need to follow a healthy eating lifestyle as advised above in the diet section.

Keep a healthy level of cholesterol without using medication

To do that, you will have to revamp your diet a great deal. You are also advised to minimize the amount of gluten that you take every week. Have enough sleep everyday or as often as you can. In addition, always stay updated on your blood sugar level. Exercise regularly, everyday if you can and lastly use cinnamon. It lowers cholesterol levels.

Keep a healthy level of blood sugar without using medication

The only way to do this is to eat the right food. Eat nuts, take cinnamon and most importantly, do not skip meals because that spikes your blood sugar levels. You can also start eating vinegar, eating vegetables and never take alcohol on an empty stomach.