The heart is a muscle that is approximately the size of a fist. The heart is one of the busiest and most strenuously worked of all of the organs in the human body. It is estimated that over the span of an average persons life, the heart beats approximately two and a half billion times without requiring the need for a rest



How healthy our heart remains throughout our lifetime has a lot to do with the type of lifestyle we subscribe to. In order to keep blood pressure lower, but not too low, it is important to make heart-healthy choices on a day-to-day basis.

According to research done by the American Heart Association (http://www.americanheart.org), the number one killer disease in the United States is cardiovascular disease. This deadly disease claims more than 2,600 individuals on a daily basis which works out to be one heart related fatality every 33 seconds in this country. Although these are staggering statistics, there are ways to have blood pressure lower that can help encourage a healthy and long life

Blood pressure lower can be obtained by eating a diet that is low in salt and saturated fat and by getting plenty of exercise on a regular basis. Other ways to experience blood pressure lower and encourage a healthy heart involve not overburdening the workload on your heart by cutting out bad habits such as smoking and drinking.

The University of Maryland Medical Center has some solid suggestions for how you can get blood pressure lower and keep it that way. Lets take a look at two of the heart healthy, blood pressure lower suggestions- that of including exercise in your day-to-day life as well as eating a healthy diet.

Blood pressure lower is more likely if you get plenty of exercise on a regular basis as those with a "coach potato" type of lifestyle are more likely to have elevated levels of blood pressure and are also more prone to obesity. Obesity can also adversely affect blood pressure levels. Exercise helps to make blood flow more freely through the vessels, which in turn encourages a substance known as nitric oxide to be released. Nitric oxide fights the buildup of plaque in the arteries and helps to keep them strong

Be aware that finding time to exercise daily does not mean that you need to run a marathon or spend hours on the treadmill. Aim for approximately thirty minutes of exercise per day and vary the activities you do to discourage boredom.

Avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt. Choose lean meats, fish, and whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables and low fat milk. Broiling meats is preferable to frying them and not eating the skin off of meats is a good way to keep your arteries clear of plaque. Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are choked full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help to keep your circulatory system strong.