{"id":47960,"date":"2024-02-14T13:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T21:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiller.cronometerdev.com\/blog\/?p=47960"},"modified":"2024-12-19T17:07:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T01:07:24","slug":"heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/heart-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Track And Improve Your Heart Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"47960\" class=\"elementor elementor-47960\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-af2cc22 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"af2cc22\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c77cd6c\" data-id=\"c77cd6c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8540055 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8540055\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We&#8217;re all about helping our users live a happy and healthy life. Knowing that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, we wanted to come in with some tips &amp; information that might help improve your heart health to give you the best chance at living a long, healthy life.<\/p><p>So, let&#8217;s dive in!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d04d8d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1d04d8d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Live Healthy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3e1e94 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f3e1e94\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Research suggests that leading a healthy lifestyle including: being smoke-free, staying physically active, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol use can reduce your risk. Almost 80% of cases of premature heart disease and stroke are preventable so for tip-top heart performance, make sure your behaviours align with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartandstroke.ca\/heart-disease\/risk-and-prevention\/lifestyle-risk-factors\">suggestions from the Heart &amp; Stroke Foundation<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1.125em;\">.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd2e946 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fd2e946\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Focus On These Nutrients<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b1d3f2a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b1d3f2a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>\u00a0<strong>Fiber:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/nutritionsource\/carbohydrates\/fiber\/#:~:text=Heart-,disease,-Soluble%20fiber%20attractstes\/fiber\/\">Research shows<\/a> that an adequate fiber intake lowers the risk of developing heart disease.\u00a0<\/li><li><strong>Omega-3 Fatty Acids: <\/strong>these micronutrients regulate heart rhythm, reduce inflammation, lower triglyceride levels, balance blood pressure and prevent plaque buildup, contributing to a healthier heart and lowering risk of heart disease.<\/li><\/ul><p>If you&#8217;re already logging your meals in Cronometer, it&#8217;s easy to keep an eye on your <a href=\"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/fiber\/\">fiber<\/a> and omega-3 intake &#8211; just check your <a href=\"https:\/\/support.cronometer.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360019864891-Mobile-Nutrition-Report\">Nutrition Report<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb44ec7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bb44ec7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Monitor Your Heart Rate<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1399157 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1399157\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>One of the best metrics for tracking your overall health is monitoring your heart rate. Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. On average most adults have a resting heart rate that falls between 60 and 100, but it can be normal to have a lower resting heart rate for those in peak physical condition.\u2060<\/p><p>Your resting heart rate is also influenced by different things like exertion from the day prior, illness, injuries etc.\u2060 This is an important metric to get a baseline on and can be done easily by logging a biometric or<strong> syncing a device<\/strong> with your Cronometer account.\u2060<\/p><p>You can view trends in your heart rate over time in the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.cronometer.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360019864311-Mobile-Charts\">Charts<\/a> section of the app or simply click the heart rate entry in your Diary for a more detailed breakdown.<\/p><p>Gold users can even create <a href=\"https:\/\/support.cronometer.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360029227272-Mobile-Custom-Charts\">Custom Charts<\/a> to plot their heart rate against any nutrient, sleep, or activity to see how their metrics correlate.\u2060<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-06b2e08 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"06b2e08\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Check Your Heart Rate Variability<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ba2162 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ba2162\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Heart Rate (HR) has been a tracked metric for quite some time, but now Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is getting its share of the limelight as a health indicator too.\u2060\u2060<\/p>\n<p>Heart rate variability is literally the variance in time between the beats of your heart. For example, if your heart beats 60 beats a minute it&#8217;s not necessarily 1 beat per second, it could be .9 seconds or 1.1 seconds between heart beats.\u2060<\/p>\n<p>HRV is a highly personal number that can fluctuate greatly based on many factors depending on the day. So, it&#8217;s more important to track the trends of your HRV to develop your own baseline.\u2060&nbsp;HRV can give you great clues to aid your training, as it tends to increase on days where you&#8217;re rested versus you might see lower HRV numbers on days you&#8217;re more fatigued.\u2060<\/p>\n<p>A lot of trackers on the market these days will use HRV in conjunction with your sleep to give you an idea on how rested you are &#8211; you might see it termed as &#8220;body battery&#8221;, &#8220;readiness score&#8221; or something similar.\u2060<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cdbf196 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cdbf196\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Ensure Good Gut Health<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be63ad0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"be63ad0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\">In recent years, scientific research has shed light on a fascinating relationship between gut health and cardiovascular well-being. Let&#8217;s delve into the emerging research on the gut-heart connection, focusing on the role of probiotics in nurturing a healthier heart.<\/div><div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Gut Microbiota: <\/strong>The gut is home to trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiota. These microorganisms play a crucial role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and even immune system regulation. Recent studies suggest that the composition of the gut microbiota may influence cardiovascular health.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div><div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Inflammation and Heart Disease:<\/strong> Chronic inflammation is a key factor in the development of heart disease. An imbalanced gut microbiota can contribute to systemic inflammation, which, in turn, may elevate the risk of cardiovascular conditions. Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that support gut health, have shown promise in reducing inflammation.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div><div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Probiotics and Blood Pressure:<\/strong> High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for heart disease. Some studies indicate that certain strains of probiotics may contribute to the regulation of blood pressure by producing bioactive compounds that influence blood vessel function.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div><div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Blood Sugar Regulation:<\/strong> Elevated blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.<\/div><div dir=\"auto\">Probiotics may positively influence glucose metabolism, promoting better blood sugar control and, subsequently, supporting heart health.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div><div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Foods that Support Gut Health:<\/strong> Yogurt with Live Cultures, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, probiotic supplements.<\/div><\/div><div class=\"x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\"><div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div><div dir=\"auto\">As our understanding of the gut-heart connection deepens, it becomes increasingly clear that a flourishing gut microbiota is an ally in the pursuit of heart health. By embracing probiotic-rich foods and supplements, you can nurture your gut and potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Remember, maintaining a balanced and varied diet, coupled with a healthy lifestyle, contributes to overall well-being and sets the stage for a heart-healthy future.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef7b4dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ef7b4dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Truth About Cholesterol<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dda30a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dda30a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the past, consuming cholesterol got a bad reputation for also increasing your blood cholesterol levels. Through research we know that high blood cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disease, this knowledge spurred many people to cut back on the amount of cholesterol they were eating.\u00a0<\/p><p>Now studies show there isn&#8217;t much correlation between the amount of cholesterol a person consumes and their blood cholesterol levels.\u00a0We make around 800-1500 mg of cholesterol a day. Dietary intake is typically 100-300 mg\/day. So, we aren&#8217;t eating much compared to what our bodies are making.\u00a0<\/p><p>Additionally, if we eat more cholesterol, we reduce the amount our bodies make and increase how much we remove from the body to compensate.<\/p><p>The bottom line is if you&#8217;re worried about your cholesterol levels, have a chat with your physician to make sure you&#8217;re in the clear, but for the most part the amount you consume likely won&#8217;t have a big impact on your blood cholesterol levels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-98a46ea elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"98a46ea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How Cronometer Can Help<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b6fd99a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b6fd99a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A Cronometer can be an excellent tool to help track and improve your heart health. Here are a few ways you can leverage the app to make sure your heart is in tip-top shape:<\/p><ul><li><strong>Log your meals<\/strong> and keep track of your food intake to make sure you&#8217;re eating a well-balanced diet. Are you reaching all of the recommended intakes for vitamins and minerals? Keep a close eye on fiber in particular.<\/li><li><strong>Log your exercise<\/strong> in Cronometer. This will help keep you accountable and you can keep track of trends and progress in your activity over time.\u00a0<\/li><li>Regularly <strong>log your weight<\/strong> in Cronometer to maintain a record and have awareness of the trends in your weight. Fluctuations in weight is normal to a degree, but it&#8217;s good to keep track so you&#8217;re aware of any unusual changes right away.<\/li><li><strong>Log habits<\/strong> like smoking or meditation to gain awareness and insights into your behaviours. If you don&#8217;t see your &#8216;habit&#8217; in the database, Gold subscribers can create Custom Biometrics or Custom Exercises to track anything they&#8217;d like!<\/li><li><strong>Keep an eye on your heart rate or heart rate variability<\/strong> in Cronometer by syncing a device or logging a biometric. Gold subscribers can create Custom Charts to compare their heart rate or HRV against any nutrient (like caffeine) or any biometric (like sleep) to find correlations between two variables.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05a4310 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"05a4310\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Heart Health On The Discovering Nutrition Podcast<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d3505a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7d3505a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Episode 22, Feb 2024<\/strong>: We welcome Dr. Tracy Paeschke, a seasoned preventative cardiologist with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Paeschke shares her invaluable insights on the importance of heart health, the power of prevention, and the steps everyone can take to minimize their risk of heart disease. <a href=\"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/episode-22-a-journey-to-prevention-with-dr-tracy-paeschke\/\">Listen Now<\/a>.<\/p><p><strong>Episode 9, Feb 2023<\/strong>: We sat down with Registered Dietician, Margaret Brum and Registered Kinesiologist Mike Walker, who both specialize in cardiac research. <a href=\"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/episode-9-heart-health-with-margaret-brum-and-mike-walker\/\">Listen Now<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re all about helping our users live a happy and healthy life. Knowing that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, we wanted to come in with some tips &amp; information that might help improve your heart health to give you the best chance at living a long, healthy life. So, let&#8217;s dive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42203,"featured_media":47974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-longevity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42203"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cronometer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}