Dr beat Simple, successful steps to a healthy heart

From regular exercise to watching cholesterol levels, cardiologists share their best advice on how to keep your ticker in good working order

- Sarah Phillips

Our hearts beat 100,000 times a day, but we tend not to worry about their maintenance unless there is a problem. What should we know about how to keep this vital organ pumping? Four cardiologists give their advice on how to keep our hearts healthy.

Exercise is key

"If you put exercise into a pill, it would probably be better than anything a doctor could give you to improve heart health," says Prof Dan Augustine, a cardiologist at Royal United hospitals Bath. The NHS recommends 150 minutes a week of moderately intense activity, such as brisk walking "that gets you a bit breathless", says Augustine, or 75 minutes of higher intensity exercise, such as running or cycling.

Be aware of what your body can do

"If you have done no exercise in the past, you need to build it up," says Augustine. "Older people have more cardiac problems when they are exercising." Over-40s should be aware of risk factors, such as smoking and family history.

Augustine advises regular health checks.

Overdoing it can be bad too Generally speaking, you can't do too much exercise. Intense exercise such as ultramarathons can cause some heart damage, says Augustine, "but this probably reverses after three or four days". What is more concerning, he says, is people overexerting themselves without being aware of underlying coronary disease. This can be a reason why otherwise healthy people collapse during marathons, or middle-aged men out cycling have heart attacks.

Avoid a sedentary lifestyle

"You're not going to go from zero to 100% in terms of exercise, but just think about how much you're sitting," Augustine says. "If you're getting your 10,000 steps each day then that is pretty good," says Graham Stuart, medical director of Sports Cardiology UK.

High cholesterol can be problematic