Caring for your heart, or at least, taking measured steps to a healthier heart should begin at 40. This is because when you reach this age, you are less physically active than you ever were but more mind stressed than you’ll ever be. Bear in mind that if you hit the sack at night feeling drained and energy-less, that doesn’t mean you got your fair share of physical activeness. You could be fatigued just by sitting in a corner and thinking of 101 different things at the same time.

So when you hit the age of 40, better start consciously planning your activities according to what’s best for your heart. For this, you could consult with your cardiologist during your annual visits and checkups, ask if a certain activity is suitable for you and what things should be considered during these activities. Moreover, it wouldn’t hurt if you start asking your cardio doctor about tests for more in-depth assessment of your heart’s status. You should, by now, have your own heart doctor, find one if you still haven’t any.

Keep in mind that this is the age when you should get your physical self moving. Set aside some time for your daily exercises no matter how impossible it seems considering your current daily schedule of activities. If it helps, consider yourself as one of your responsibilities, that if you can do things for your kids, parents and husband, certainly you can do things for yourself too. You owe yourself and your body that much anyway.

Also, exercising is not only for those who would like to drop pounds so even if you don’t really need to trim down, you still need to get moving in order to maintain a healthy heart. Work with your cardiologist to be able to detect signs if your heart is in danger or if you’re at risk. There are risk assessment procedures that could be done, just ask your doctor about it.

Do take note of your past and recent surgeries as they may have put you at risk for heart problems. Not all surgeries do, but recent studies find that some of the most simple of surgeries put a patient in higher risk of developing heart problems. Have your doctor check for calcifications in other parts of your body. If you are a girl, mammogram shows specks of calcifications which are usually brushed off by your oncologist but should be noted by your cardiologist.

Again, regular checkups will help you. As simple as monitoring your blood pressure, your pulse rate, glucose levels, your weight and BMI can help you detect heart problems early on.