In order to keep your heart healthy, you should follow four simple rules. You may need to make a considerable change in your lifestyle choices and daily habits, but the rewards are worth the sacrifice. Healthy eating patterns and regular exercise are the two most significant factors that contribute to a strong heart.

Follow the four simple rules below and you can keep your heart healthy and improve your quality of life:

1. Regular exercise:

Regular exercise enables you to lead a rewarding and active life. Exercise not only keeps your body fit but will also help keep your heart functioning properly. Moreover, exercise reduces your stress level and lowers your bad cholesterol level. Another benefit of regular exercise is well toned muscles and reduced body fat.

The key to any successful fitness program or exercise routine is that you keep at it. Make a schedule and stick with it. Many people buy a notebook or diary to write down the specifics of their exercise regiment. For example, someone might write down how far they ran, and how fast, after each workout. You can be as specific or general as you want. Some people just write down in a journal, "I walked for 30 minutes around the park." Keeping a log of your exercise sessions improves your psychological state of mind because you have a visual record of your past accomplishments. There is also a sense of satisfaction after the workout is over and recording the results in your journal.

2. Choose an appropriate aerobic exercise activity:

(Also known as cardio exercise) Along with frequent exercise, you must choose an aerobic activity which suits your age, general health, and specific situation. This will help in maintaining strong and healthy set of lungs and heart. There are many aerobic activities like swimming, bicycling, jogging, dancing, walking that you can choose to enjoy.

However, there are some certain guidelines that one needs to consider before initiating these activities:

• You should speak with your doctor before starting any rigorous activity. You need to make sure you are healthy and strong enough for whichever type of exercise you choose.
• At first, exercise for about 5-10 minutes at a time. Your body will need time to acclimate to the new activity, and reduces the amount of pain you'll feel as you continue your exercise schedule. The last thing you want is to sprain your ankle or become overly sore during the first few days of any new exercise program.
• Gradually increase your time schedule from 10 to 30 minutes. Try to stick to the same schedule. You can start out with two days a week, and then build to three days a week. But you should try to build up to 10-30 minutes of activity every day, with heavier exercise spread throughout the week.
• If at any time you feel any sort of chest pain while doing exercise then discontinue the exercise and contact your physician right away.

3. Eat a Heart-healthy and nutritious diet:

In the current fast-paced life, most of us are usually too busy to worry about monitoring our eating habits. Poor eating habits create an adverse effect on your health that accumulates over time. So, it is always suggested to eat healthy foods that give your body what it needs. Heart healthy foods are those that contribute to a reduction in your cholesterol level. Also, they help you control your weight and this helps reduce your blood pressure.

The healthiest foods help lower the content of fat in your diet:

• Minimize the intake of rich fat content foods like fatty meat. Instead, eat low fat fish or poultry.
• Reduce the level of butter and margarine in your food.
• Avoid foods rich in hydrogenated or coconut oil.
• Do not drink dairy products that have high fat content, like ice-cream, cheese and many more. Use Low fat or 2% milk.

Eat more fibrous food:

Lower the content of Fat in your diet:
• Maximize your intake of green-leafy vegetables and fresh fruits in your daily diet. Make sure you cut up some apples, or other fruit, and keep them in your fridge for when you need a snack. If you make sure you always have a healthy option available when you need a snack then you'll be that much more likely to actually eat it.
• Enhance the intake of beans, oats and potatoes in your diet chart. They have rich fibre content.

4. Quit Smoking, drinking, or using other harmful substances:

One of the best ways to improve your heart's health is to quit smoking or using other nicotine products. Smoking enhances the risk of heart attack, as the lowers the supply of oxygen in the bloodstream. Quitting smoking will begin to reverse the damage caused by inhaling smoke into your lungs. Also, when nicotine is introduced into the bloodstream it causes vasodilation. Nicotine causes constriction of your blood vessels, and increases your blood pressure by lowering the volume of blood that can be pumped through the circulatory system. Additionally, the repeated contraction and expansion of your blood vessels can lead to hardening of the arteries. Alcohol and other substances also have a horrendous effect on your heart's health.

By following these simple healthy rules, you can keep your heart strong for many years to come.