Last updated on October 11th, 2024 at 06:16 pm
Keep your heart healthy with these tips
Heart diseases are on the rise. This is a sign for people to take action to protect themselves. Simple changes in your lifestyle can go a long way in improving your heart health. Here are simple tips for good heart health:
Eat heart-healthy food
Choose foods that are high in nutrition and low in calories, like:
• Fruits and vegetables: They are a rich source of multiple vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.
• Whole grains: Replace refined grains with whole grains as they are rich in fibre and other nutrients
• Healthy fats: Healthy fats reduce your total blood cholesterol and keep your blood vessels from getting blocked. Olive oil, nuts, seeds, and nut oils are good sources of healthy fats. Choose them over unhealthy fat sources like butter, palm oil, cotton seed oil, etc
• Proteins: Include proteins like pulses, fish, low-fat dairy products, eggs etc., in your diet. They are low in fat and high in nutrients and fibre.
• Low-sodium foods: You should prefer food with less salt. High salt intake can cause high blood pressure, leading to heart problems. So, you must limit your salt intake by consuming home cooked food with less salt and avoiding packaged and processed foods.
Quit smoking
Smoking can increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack. So if you smoke, you should choose to quit it. Take help or support if needed. Also, you should keep away from places and people who smoke. The smoke from cigarettes also increases the risk of heart disease.
Be active
Avoid sitting for a long time. Take a break between work and get up and take a stroll. Engage in heart-healthy exercises for at least 30 minutes a day. Go for a long walk, swim, ride a bike, dance, or practise a sport. It helps to keep your heart strong and your body weight in check. This tip goes a long way in keeping your heart healthy.
Keep a check on your weight
A healthy BMI can keep you safe from heart disorders. If you are overweight, you have greater chances of a stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease etc. Even if you are not overweight but have excess belly fat, you could be at risk of heart disease.
Get enough sleep
If your sleep is disturbed or insufficient, you could increase your risk of heart problems. Less sleep has been shown to increase the risk of stroke or heart attack. Not getting enough sleep can disturb your biological processes and cause hormonal imbalances. Hence, you must ensure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Engage in good sleep practices like going to bed on time, putting mobile phones away one hour before sleep, putting on calming music etc.
Manage your stress
Stress can increase the risk of heart disorders by increasing your blood pressure, pulse rate and breathing. These could lead to more severe heart issues. To keep your stress in check, practise meditation, yoga, deep breathing, relaxation exercises, etc.
Know your heart numbers
Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and BMI are important heart health indicators. You must keep a check on them and measure them at regular intervals.
Prioritise heart health
Keeping your heart healthy needs simple day-to-day changes like eating a heart-healthy diet and ensuring a healthy, stress-free lifestyle. Avoiding smoking and monitoring the basic heart health parameters are also useful steps. Keep these tips in mind and follow them regularly to keep your heart in good shape.
Medicines can also play a major role in determining your heart function, especially if you have been diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition. If you are looking for a trusted source for your medication, visit the Medkart website today!
FAQs
1. Do young people have heart risks?
Yes. Doctors recommend that after 30, you should get yourself checked routinely.
2. How can you keep your heart healthy?
Here are a few tips to keep a heart healthy:
• Exercise
• Eat healthy
• Reduce stress
• Quit smoking
• Maintain your weight
• Keep a check on blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol
3. Do heart diseases run in the family?
Yes, heart diseases are hereditary, so if it runs in your family, you should get yourself checked by a cardiac specialist and follow the tips to keep your heart healthy.
