#10. Stop Smoking

We are all aware of the fact that smoking cigarettes can lead to lung cancer, but how many know that cigarette smokers have three times more the chances of having a heart attack (medically termed as MI or Myocardial Infarction) instead of developing lung cancer?

Nicotine that is inhaled results in clamping down of the blood vessels in your body, compelling your heart to pump faster and harder in order to make sure that the blood passes through the smaller blood vessels. As a result, calcium and fat get easily accumulated in the lining of your blood vessels and narrow down the arteries even further.

Also, cigarette smoking releases carbon monoxide that lowers the supply of oxygen to your tissues. Breathing problems and lung irritation lead further straining of the heart. So, the best way to avoid your heart from overworking is by giving up on smoking completely. Even studies reveal that quitting smoking reduces the risk of an MI by a total of 50%, irrespective of the time period for which you have been smoking.