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If you want something to last longer, go easy on it, according to common sense. That is sound advice the majority of the time. But not when it comes to the organ that works the hardest in your body: your soul.

Your heart pumps blood through a vast network of blood vessels that is more than 60,000 miles long on an average of 100,000 times per day.

According to cardiologist Leslie Cho, MD, however, consistent moderate- to high-intensity physical activity can help lower blood pressure and strengthen your heart by making it work even harder.

Is your heart a muscle?

Your heart is a muscle. Just like your bicep, the more you work your heart, the bigger and stronger it gets.

During moderate- to high-intensity exercise, your muscles and tissues demand more nutrients and oxygen, which means that your heart must work harder and pump faster to meet those needs, says Dr. Cho.

Over time, your heart works more efficiently and can push out a greater volume of blood with every beat.

In addition, exercise also improves blood flow to your heart. It does this by improving the ability of your coronary blood vessels, which are the arteries that supply blood to your heart, to dilate.

Exercise also helps your other blood vessels’ ability to dilate, which, over time, lowers blood pressure.

“In general, the lower your blood pressure is, the better off you are,” Dr. Cho says. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart and blood vessel disease.

How to make your heart stronger

Dr. Cho shares these additional tips to help keep your blood pressure in check and keep your heart strong:

  • Keep away from sodium. A lot of salt expands the volume of your blood, which can exacerbate your blood. Set up your own food sources to assist with restricting your sodium admission, and hydrate rather than pop.
  • Consider the DASH diet. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension is spelled DASH. DASH is a healthy eating plan that you can follow for the rest of your life that focuses on cutting out salt and adding foods that are high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
  • Limit alcohol. Consuming just two or three drinks in one sitting can elevate your blood pressure.
  • Don’t eat black licorice. You might not have expected to read this, but black licorice, which contains glycyrrhizinic acid, can raise blood pressure even in people who do not have hypertension.
  • Stand firm. Even if you get 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, research shows that sitting for a long time can hurt your heart. Take a five-minute walk at least once an hour to break up periods of inactivity and get your blood pumping.

When you combine healthy habits like regular exercise, a balanced diet, the elimination of smoking and drinking and more, your heart will be able to pump at a strong rate.

Taking care of your heart is essential to preventing the development of other diseases like diabetes and lung-related illnesses, too. If you feel your heart isn’t pumping or beating the way it’s supposed to, contact your physician immediately.