A Healthy Heart Can Help to Improve Your Mind

Our dietary and workout routines can affect each and every part of our body. As we age this becomes more and more important as we focus on ways to keep our body in good shape as well as our cognitive abilities.

Keeping your heart healthy may play a role in keeping your memory sharp later in life, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Neurology.

Other factors, including not smoking, past high scores on cognitive tests and the presence of a particular gene variant, were also linked to better memory for people in their 90s, the study found.

It does beg the question though, what are some things that I can do to help improve my heart? Below are some easy ways to get you started.

Exercise

Regular exercise has numerous benefits for not only your heart health, but your overall health. Even doing something as simple as going for a vigorous walk for 30 minutes a day can offer great results.

Avoid transfats and other unhealthy fats

Many of the heart healthy diets that doctors or health practioners recommend, focus on have lots of fruits, vegetables and lean or legume proteins. Generally, this means that you should try to reduce the amount of meals that are fried or have loads of unhealthy fats that you would see at fast-food joints or at restaurants.

Take care of your teeth

People with gum disease often have the same risk factors for heart disease, so be sure to brush and floss your teeth twice daily.

Improve your sleep

Poor sleep has been linked to cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, insulin resistance and diabetes. It can also increase plaques that cause artery blockage