4 Easy ways to tell if your heart is healthy without equipment

 

Heart disease is a major health concern for many Americans. Poor diet, limited exercise, and genetic factors often lead to high cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes while dramatically impacting the health of a person’s heart.

To be clear, we do recommend regularly getting your heart checked out by a pro. But in the meantime, there are ways to monitor your own heart health yourself, right in the comfort of your home, without any special devices.

1- The Stairs Test

If it takes you more than 1½ minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor

2- Healthy Breathing

If you can perform moderately intense physical activities, such as brisk walking, running, or lifting weights without experiencing chest pain, tightness in the chest or shortness of breath, your cardiovascular system is supplying your body with the oxygen levels it needs. You have a healthy heart.

3- Quick Recovery Rate

Heart rate recovery is a measure of the change in your heart rate after you have stopped a workout or another high-intensity activity. Heart rate recovery has proved a reliable tool in confirming cardiovascular health especially in individuals at risk of heart disease (such as those with high blood pressure and diabetes). Ideally, the faster your heart rate decreases after exercise, the better your cardiovascular health, and vice versa.

Read more: Cardiac diet guidelines and 7 Steps to prevent heart disease

4- Resting Heart Rate

Your heart rate naturally changes throughout the day, depending on how much you're exerting yourself. During moments of high stress or intense physical exertion, for example, your heart beats faster. When you're relaxed or asleep, it beats more slowly.

In general, healthy adult heart rates range from 60 to 100 beats per minute when you're relaxed, but ranges also depend on age.

To measure it: Simply put your index and middle finger on the inside of the opposite wrist, and count the number of heartbeats you feel in 15 seconds. Multiply that number by four to get your heart rate in beats per minute.

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A healthy heart is the secret to a longer life, so minimize your risk of heart disease by keeping your heart strong. Maintaining good heart health is extremely important for everyone, but it is particularly crucial for those with a predisposition to cardiovascular disease. It is often an option to get a health checkup at a doctor’s office or clinic.