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Faizan
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the United States each year. Build up of plaque in the arteries can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The way you live your life can help you develop life-long cardiovascular fitness. Tips for a healthy lifestyle concern how you eat and drink, exercise and sleep. For a healthy cardiovascular system, limit alcohol intake, don't smoke and manage stress.
Diet
The first rule of thumb for a healthy diet is don't eat more calories than you use. Extra calories are stored as fat, and being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. Reduce your risk of coronary artery disease by eating fish twice a week for the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids, recommends the American Heart Association. In addition, a diet for cardiovascular fitness features fruits and vegetables and unrefined grains. Low-fat dairy products and lean, skinless meat should supplement your diet and not be the main components of it. Avoid refined sugar and keep your sodium consumption below 1,500 mg per day unless your physician has instructed otherwise.
Exercise
Maintain a healthy weight and keep your body in shape by doing 150 minutes of cardio exercise each week and two to three weight-resistance workouts on non-consecutive days. Activities such as walking, running, climbing or sports make your heart pump harder to get blood to your muscles, thereby giving you a cardio workout. Any time you spend 10 minutes doing moderate-intensity activity, it counts toward your weekly goal of 150 minutes of cardio. Do resistance exercises to work all your major muscle groups using your own body weight, free weights or exercise machines. Perform two to four sets of each exercise, with 8 to 20 repetitions per set. Include stretching exercises in your workout routine at least twice a week to maintain flexibility and reduce stress.
Sleep
Your body restores itself while you sleep. The Mayo Clinic says adults need seven to eight hours of quality sleep each night. When you sleep less than seven hours, or when your sleep is interrupted, your body goes into stress mode, overworking your sympathetic nervous system. This has a negative impact on your heart. Harvard Health Publications indicates that sleep deprivation results in higher levels of inflammation within the body, which weakens your heart over time. However, sleeping more than nine hours a night on a regular basis is linked to a shorter lifespan.
Water
Drink five or more 8-ounce glasses of water each day. The "American Journal of Epidemiology" reports that optimal hydration reduces your risk of having a fatal heart attack by 41 percent. Low water consumption -- two or fewer glasses -- leads to hypohydration or dehydration, which affects the quality of your blood and negatively influences your heart. Fruit juice, caffeinated or sugary drinks are not recommended as substitutes for plain water.
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