- When you’re too busy for a full gym session, cardiologists opt for four to five minute of HIIT workouts plus compound body exercises.
- Cardiologists say they would rather skip a meal than grab fast food or frozen processed meals. If they do indulge, they recommend a U-turn mindset to get back to normal eating patterns.
- To estimate your heart risk, a quick DIY heart check involves dividing your daily heart rate with your daily step count. Calculate your average over 2 weeks.
IN THE BUSY fight that is everyday life, reality occasionally hits you with a low blow. We’re talking a rough night of sleep. A stressful week at work. One of those months where you ate and drank more than you worked out.
Stressful life events can set us back from making the most heart-healthy choices. That’s okay, it happens to the best of us—including cardiologists who are always highlighting the importance of exercise and diet. Realistically, they’re leading busy lives and don’t always have the time to follow their own advice. That’s why these doctors have some low-effort health hacks when crunched for time. Below, seven cardiologists reveal their plan B strategies for keeping their heart in fighting shape.
The Problem: No Time for the Gym
The Fix: Push the Intensity
If I can’t do a full workout, I go for four to five minutes of high-intensity intervals (30 seconds effort, 30 seconds recovery) on whatever equipment is available, such as a treadmill, stationary bike, rowing machine, or elliptical, plus two sets of compound exercises, like squats or pushups. If I’m away from the gym, I’ll do the intervals outside, alternating running with steady jogging. These micro-workouts offer many of the same cardiovascular benefits as longer sessions—ideal for busy days.
—Jonathan Fisher, MD, Cardiologist and the author of Just One Heart
The Problem: Lots to Do, No Time to Eat
The Fix: Grab a Better Snack
I would rather skip a meal than grab fast food or frozen processed food. You can always get a banana at a gas station. Get two of them. You’re much better off eating two bananas on the road than pulling into McDonald’s and buying a fish fillet sandwich. Filling, fiber-rich fruit beats over-processed junk that’s high in calories and low in fiber. On a regular day [when I’m not on the road], I snack on dried roasted edamame with wasabi flavor, so it has a little kick to it. Edamame is high in protein and fiber and helps reduce LDL cholesterol.
—Joel Kahn, MD, Integrative Cardiologist at The Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity in Bingham Farms, Michigan
The Problem: An Anxiety Pileup
The Fix: Book the Chill Thing
I receive a relaxing facial once a week. It usually includes a massage with ice globes, and it feels great. Men don’t often prioritize things that allow them to meditate or that make them happy. Taking care of your mental health is important, as depression and anxiety are linked with poor cardiovascular health. I also make time to socialize—people tend to underestimate the value of these times because they’re always busy working. I prioritize birthdays, weddings, and other valuable time with friends and family.
—Yazan Daaboul, MD, Cardiologist and Cardiac Imaging Specialist at Harrison Memorial Hospital
The Problem: Morning Fatigue
The Fix: Skip the Nightcap
I don’t recommend drinking before bed. A nightcap with alcohol is a misnomer, since alcohol can increase wakefulness three to four hours later. Additionally, research has shown that there are no heart-healthy effects of alcohol—it’s in fact the opposite, so that should not be used as a reason to drink. I like to wind down with a cup of chamomile tea and an audiobook.
—Jamal Rana, MD, cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California
The Problem: Not Sticking to the Plan
The Fix: Play the Long Game
You don’t have to follow every heart health rule perfectly. Rules are meant to be broken. Heart disease doesn’t happen due to one unhealthy meal or one day without exercise. The risk increases with unhealthy habits over the long term. Focus on the long game: Just because you make one exception doesn’t mean that you can’t have a healthy life.
—Andrew M. Goldsweig, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Clinical Research at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts
The Problem: Eating Extra
The Fix: Don’t Starve Yourself
I’m a firm believer in the value of the U-turn: If my diet goes off the rails, I make a U-turn and get back to my normal rhythm of eating—generally quick, heart-healthy, vegetable-based meals. If I am too extreme and eat too little, I’m less likely to stick with it. This U-turn mindset has allowed me to lose 25 pounds and keep it off for the past five years.
—James Louis Januzzi, MD, Director of the Dennis and Marilyn Barry Fellowship in Cardiology Research at Massachusetts General Hospital
The Problem: Bad Sleep
The Fix: Pour Some Coffee
The trick for me after a bad night of sleep is coffee. It’s actually not harmful for your heart in moderation, which is about two cups a day. I like Starbucks House Blend or Breakfast Blend with 2% milk. It gets me going so I can avoid unhealthy habits and keep up with my exercise—cardio workouts at least three times per week and as much walking throughout the day as possible—regardless of travel, vacations, or work.
—Matthew Budoff, MD, endowed chair of Preventive Cardiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Cardiologists Also Recommend This
Do the Newer, Better, DIY Heart Check
WHICH IS A better way to know if your heart is doing well: a low daily heart rate or a high daily step count? Both, per recent research. Taking them both into account lets you figure out an important number called your heart risk ratio. Here’s how to check.
1) Do the Math
Daily heart rate / daily step count = heart risk ratio
Calculate your average over two weeks.
2) See How you Stack Up
You want a ratio below 0.0147. People with this ratio and above had a higher risk of hypertension, heart failure, and coronary atherosclerosis than people below that. So that means, for instance, that someone who walks 10,000 steps a day at an average daily heart rate of 60 has a more efficient heart than someone who walks the same number of steps but at or above a heart rate of 147.
Why This Matters
“The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart,” says study author Zhanlin Chen. “When there are clogs in those arteries, you don’t supply as much blood to the heart with every beat, so your heart has to beat more to compensate.” A higher ratio can be a nudge to get more steps in and make other heart-smart moves.
Julie Stewart is a writer, editor and content strategist with over a decade of experience translating complex topics — health and medicine, science and engineering — into engaging, accessible stories. Her work has appeared in publications like Men’s Health, Women’s Health, AARP The Magazine, EatingWell and Prevention, and she has also led strategic communications for a top engineering college and a global oncology company.
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