Technology allows us to track heart healthy decisions in new and efficient ways. Not only does it help keep details of your activity in order, it helps you create benchmarks and reward yourself for consistency. Let’s take a look at a few heart healthy decisions you could make and how to best track them.
- Aerobic exercises that strengthen your cardiovascular system are great heart-healthy decisions.
So how can you keep them organized and help yourself go from a sedentary lifestyle to a runner? No one expects you to jump off your office chair and run a marathon in a day, or even 6 months. Instead, apps like Couch To 5K help you learn to run without putting undue stress on your body while also providing realistic expectations. - Keeping track of your heart rate cycles and sleep quality are also both excellent heart healthy options. Purchasing a FitBit or another fitness tracker like a Garmin or Jawbone can give you a deeper look at how your heart is doing. In fact, it can also provide a great way to see how your healthy decisions affect your body. Things like improved resting heart rate and more restful sleep are excellent goals. (Not to mention one teen’s life was saved by his Fitbit tracking his heart rate)
- Tracking your meals and researching heart friendly foods provides a perfect source of
accountability for those struggling to make lifestyle changes. Apps that allow you to track your food include MyFitnessPal, DietBet, and Lifesum. Each offers a unique reward system and complete tracking. (Link it with your fitness monitor and you’ll be on the right track.) If you struggle with maintaining dietary restrictions like low cholesterol or low sodium, apps like Ingredients1 and Rise help you create menus around your restrictions.
Looking for more ways to make heart healthy decisions easier? Check out our weekly blogs for cardiologist approved ways to live healthier.
