The heart is not as hardy as one would think. It is the center of our being, the engine of our life. It functions silently and efficiently, working its wonders behind the scenes despite its undeniable prominence in our existence. Hence, the heart is easily neglected and its health is conveniently ignored.

But the heart is one of the more fragile organs of the body. It is susceptible to more potential diseases than, say, the kidneys or the lungs. Much care must be extended for the heart on a daily basis to maintain its good wellbeing so that it may continue to properly carry out its functions.

Here are 5 things that you should observe each and every day to ensure a happy and healthy heart:

1. Observe proper diet. Familiar with the maxim “we are what we eat?” These are very true words. Stay away from fatty food types. Control your cholesterol intake. Fat and cholesterol clog up the veins which forces the heart to work overtime to pump more blood. If allowed to accumulate, fat and cholesterol will also clog up the arteries which can lead to a heart attack, or worse, total heart failure. Stay away from too much salt as well. Sodium will elevate your blood pressure level, and such is never good for the heart.

2. Get your daily dosage of exercise. A lifestyle that’s devoid of physical activities will just condition the heart to become just as lazy. As a result, it becomes even more fragile and even more susceptible to a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Walk, jog or run a distance of at least 1 kilometer per day. If you can’t do this, just make sure that you get at least 10,000 steps per day. This is the ideal daily fitness exercise for you.

3. Maintain your ideal weight. Always compute your body mass index (BMI) and ensure that you’re within the suggested weight range. Being overweight makes you more vulnerable to heart diseases. Excess baggage makes the heart work harder, after all. And the fats will just clog up our circulatory system.

4. Stay away from unhealthy vices. Smoking weakens your heart and increases the likelihood of a heart attack or a stroke by 10% to 40% for males, and 20% to 60% for females. Alcohol elevates blood pressure readings which would also increase the chances of suffering from a heart attack or a stroke, depending on other attendant risk factors.

5. Take time to relax. This is especially true if you’re forced to endure stressful situations because of work or other demands. Stress weakens our systems – our hearts included. Find time to take a break and rejuvenate your mind and body.

When it comes to matters involving our primary organ, it will serve us best to take these things to heart.