Your heart works very hard for you everyday of your life without a break. The least you could do is to show some love by taking good care of it. but how can you take care of it??? It is simply by making few changes in your lifestyle and habits. A few simple swaps can make all the difference or even eliminating a few risk factors to improve your heart health can reap many benefits. We would be discussing few tips that can help maintain a healthy heart.
Ingredients for a healthy HEART
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating for a healthy heart is a pattern. It doesn’t focus on one type of food or nutrient, but rather on what you eat over days, weeks and months. This style of eating is naturally low in saturated and trans fats, salt and added sugar. It’s rich in wholegrains, fibre, antioxidants and unsaturated fats. A healthy diet can help reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease and stop you gaining weight, reducing your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Everyone should aim for a well balanced diet. A well-balanced diet should include at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day.
Stay Active
Too tired to exercise?
Think again! To strengthen your heart muscle, you should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days. If you can’t do all 30 minutes at once, do 10 minutes at a time. Brisk walking, swimming, or cycling are especially good for your heart. Your heart is a muscle, and it gets stronger and healthier if you have an active life. It’s never too late to start exercising!!! Step counters would also be very helpful for physical exercise.
Get enough sleep
Sleep is an essential part of keeping a healthy heart.. If you don’t sleep enough, you may be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease no matter your age or other health habits.
Quit smoking
Smoking is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/smo Smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who have never smoked. Nicotine from cigarette not only damages the lining of your arteries but also reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, and raises your blood pressure. You can also discuss with your healthcare professional on options that can help quit smoking. Smoking does more harm than good!!
Be Happy, Keep Calm and Reduce Stress !!
It’s been proven that stress, anger, anxiety, and depression can keep your blood pressure high and increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other illnesses. Stress can play a huge role in your heart health. Increased stress releases cortisol and adrenaline, which elevates blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Stress-related behaviors can also negatively affect your health, causing you to smoke more, drink more, overeat, and be physically inactive. All these behaviors will contribute negatively to your heart health.
Limit Alcohol
Alcohol can affect your heart by causing high blood pressure. Drinking too much alcohol also causes abnormal heart rhythms, damage to the heart muscle and other diseases such as stroke, liver problems and some cancers.
Cut down on salt
If you have a diet high in salt, it’s likely that your blood pressure would be high too. That means you have an increased risk of suffering from heart disease or stroke. The recommended maximum daily intake of salt is just 6g (1 level teaspoon) for adults and 3g for children (2.5g of salt is the equivalent of 1g of sodium). and so, cut down by trying not to use any salt at all at the table and reduce how much you use in cooking. Also, keep an eye on food labels to check how much salt you’re eating in processed foods.
Making changes like these takes time and a lot of effort. But think about the progress, not perfection. And reward yourself for every positive step you take. Ask your friends and family to support you and join in, too. Your heart’s future will be better for it!
“Heart disease let’s defeat, Keep a healthy Heartbeat”
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Disclaimer: Please note that this information should not take the place of your doctor’s advice. Victory drugs is not liable for any action you take as a result of reading this article