Grill a steak: You may think it’s bad for your heart, but you’d be wrong. Beef contains immunity-boosting selenium as well as homocysteine-lowering B vitamins. And up to 50 per cent of the fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated variety.
Watch a scary movie: Anything that causes your heart to race – slasher flicks, a good book, even being in love – also makes your heart stronger, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre. Upsetting the rhythm once in a while is like hitting your heart’s reset button, which helps it keep on ticking.
Run indoors on hazy days: Researchers in Finland found that exercising outside on hot, hazy days when air pollution is at its worst can cut the supply of oxygen in the blood, making it more likely to clot.
Tell your spouse to butt out: Researchers in Greece found that individuals who were exposed to cigarette smoke for just 30 minutes three times a week had a 26 per cent greater risk of developing heart disease than people who rarely encountered secondhand smoke.
Dive in the pool: U.K. researchers found that men who burn just 50 calories a day in strenuous activities like swimming and hiking are 62 per cent less likely to die of heart disease than men who burn nearly seven times as many calories – 340 per day – during less active pursuits like walking and golfing.
Fight cholesterol with fat: A group of 17 Australian men with high cholesterol swapped macadamia nuts for 15 per cent of the calories in their diets, and their total cholesterol dropped by between three and five per cent; while their HDL (good) cholesterol rose by nearly eight per cent. The reason: Macadamias are the best natural source of monounsaturated fat.
Meditate 20 minutes a day: According to Thomas Jefferson University researchers, this daily downtime may reduce your anxiety and depression by more than 25 per cent. And that’s important, since a University of Florida study found that patients with coronary artery disease who had the most mental stress were three times more likely to die during the period of the study than those with the least stress.
Buy a punching bag: A Harvard study found that men who express their anger have half the risk of heart disease, compared with men who internalise it.
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