While most people think of heart health and healthy living as ways to avoid a heart attack, many conditions can affect the heart or other body systems and can be avoided through proper heart health. In addition to preventing multiple heart conditions, heart-healthy habits can improve lung function and stave off diabetes.

Prevent the Thinning of Walls

The walls of your heart, arteries and veins need to be strong enough to withstand the pressures required to keep the blood flowing in the system. When these walls thin, you can experience irregular heart rhythms, strokes and even trouble breathing. Cardiac Electrophysiologists like Dr. Ian Weisberg treat thinned heart walls and other conditions through catheter ablation, which causes precision burns and subsequent scarring of thin cardiovascular walls to make them thicker and more robust. A diet too high in salt or sugar can thin arterial walls, and regular cardiovascular exercise can strengthen them.

Improve Brain Function

Walking more throughout your day has been shown to do more than boost your heart health and help you lose weight. You can also promote brain health with better circulation, and taking walking breaks during your work day can reduce stress. Better heart health can also reduce the number and severity of blood clots, which can lead to severe conditions such as stroke. Regular walking has even been shown to delay dementia and strengthen the back.

Reduce Lung and Breathing Problems

Because your cardiovascular system delivers oxygen throughout your body, the more effectively your heart works, the easier it is to breathe and vice versa. Quitting smoking is an excellent way to boost lung and heart health. You can also improve the air quality in your home, get into green spaces more often and increase lung capacity through exercise.

Reduce Back Pain

For many people, back pain as you age is regarded as inevitable, but many of the facets of healthy living can reduce this back pain or delay the start of it. Walking with proper posture will not only help you trim some of the belly fat that is pulling at your spine, but it will also help strengthen the muscles in your core and help keep the strain off of those in your back.

While some benefits of heart-healthy tips such as diet and exercise are readily apparent, such as improved cardiovascular function and a lower risk of heart disease, others are less obvious. Eating a healthy diet and exercising more can also improve your lung and brain function, help you lose weight and even reduce stress.