Having a healthy heart is essential to carry out the essential functions in our everyday life. The heart is one of the vital organs of our body which efficiently maintains the entire body. As we are all aware that 1 out of 4 deaths all over the world occurs due to heart diseases. It is therefore essential to maintain a healthy heart. Have a look at the five ways to improve your heart health:
Avoid being obese and maintain a healthy weight. Try adopting a healthy lifestyle, practice exercises regularly, eat healthy food options, maintain your blood pressure and cholesterol levels so that the heart works effectively and pumps enough blood throughout the body while preventing the deposition of fat within the arteries. Try losing excess weight, make a healthy nutrition plan with the help of your consultant and lose excess pounds from the body. Swap the intake of junk foods with healthy vegetables, fruits and maintain a healthy weight.
If you are a chronic smoker, try quitting smoking as soon as possible as reducing the intake of tobacco repairs your heart back to normal and makes it functioning effectively within a few months. Smoking not only harms your heart, but it also damages your lungs. It doubles your risk to suffer from heart diseases. If you quit smoking, your blood pressure returns to normal, your heart starts beating at a normal rate and within a few hours, the carbon monoxide levels start coming back to normal. Your chances to suffer from heart diseases and stroke reduces by half once you stop smoking.
Avoid stressful situations as emotional stress increases the release of certain hormones within the body like adrenaline and cortisol. The release of these hormones constricts the blood vessels and increases your heart rate leading to fight or flight response. When the stressful situation is over, your body returns to normal but if your body is dealing with continuous stress then it has no chance to recover and ultimately it starts damaging the arterial walls leading to high blood pressure at all times. Try managing stress with your doctor’s help. Try engaging yourself in yoga, meditation exercises, breathing exercises and try relaxing back. You can also go and walk around, listen to music or communicate with your friends or family members when you undergo such stressful situations so that you can release some stress off your mind.
Opt for healthy foods that are heart-friendly. Choose a nutritious diet that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants along with potassium which aids in maintaining the cholesterol levels within the body and allows your heart to function properly. Choose healthy foods that boost up the health of your heart. Choose lean meats, fruits, vegetables along with whole-grain food items that help in reducing the intake of Tran’s fats within your diet. Limit the intake of sodium, excess sugar and red meat as they increase the deposition of fats within the body. Try snacking on nutritious foods like walnuts, beans, berries, and leafy green vegetables.
Indulge in exercises regularly so that you can maintain a healthy weight, keep yourself away from stressful situations and make your heart healthy. Try adopting an active lifestyle that helps in managing chronic conditions like heart diseases, stroke, and others. Choose moderate-intensity exercises like jogging, walking, swimming and perform it daily for 25-30 minutes regularly and see the difference yourself.
Consult your healthcare professional regularly and get your heart checked so that it can be maintained in a healthy state.