17 Surprising Things That Could Affect Your Heart Health

Vaping

Electronic cigarettes safer are than traditional cigarettes, that’s for sure, but that doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Some use them as an alternative while others use them as a gateway to quitting smoking altogether.

Though by vaping you’ll avoid all the smoke you’ll still be exposed to a high dose of chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetone. These can affect your blood pressure regulation, accelerate the formation of plaque in the arteries, and can lead to blood clots.

Keep in mind that electronic cigarettes aren’t well regulated, meaning we still don’t know all the toxins they include and how they can affect our health in the long run.

Being Fat-shamed

A lot of people who fat shame others think they are doing them a favor. They believe that their mean actions and words would cause the recipient of their remarks to ‘do something’.

Weight bias internalization causes people to apply negative stereotypes about obesity to themselves. Women with this issue have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those who had not been fat-shamed.

Therefore if you know someone who fat shames others, remind them of the research found in the journal Obesity and tell them that they’re more likely to harm them both physically and emotionally.

Lifting Weights

Doing cardio is extremely beneficial to your heart and lungs, but apparently, you don’t have to stick to just cardio in order to improve your heart health. In December 2016, the American Journal of Physiology found that lifting weights can improve blood vessel functioning.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should give up on cardio altogether. A mix of stretching, strength, and cardio is best for sustained effort!