Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It can lead to other health problems, such as stroke and heart failure. However, if you take care of your heart by following some simple steps you can avoid developing this condition and stay healthy for a long time. Therefore welcome to todays article about healthy heart and how you can take care of it.
Before we dive into how to take care of the heart, I want to talk about heart disease.
Heart Disease
Heart issues come in many different forms and are referred to as heart disease. Similar but encompassing is the term “cardiovascular disease,” which covers all forms of heart disease, stroke, and blood vessel illness. Coronary artery disease, which affects heart blood flow, is the most prevalent form.
The blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen and blood—the coronary arteries—develop a buildup of plaque, which results in coronary artery disease. Cholesterol buildup, or plaque, causes arteries to become narrower and less able to carry blood. Atherosclerosis, or artery hardening, is the medical term for this process. A heart attack may be brought on by decreased blood supply to the heart. A stroke may result from decreased blood supply to the brain.
Other areas of the body can also experience artery hardening. It is known as peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, in the legs and feet. Having PAD is frequently the first indication that a diabetic has cardiovascular disease.
Eat Healthy Food
Eating healthy foods is an important part of keeping your heart and mind in good shape. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans every day. These provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients that are essential for good health. You can also lower your cholesterol levels by eating less saturated fat and cholesterol found in animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy products.
Choose fish at least twice a week to get the omega-3 fatty acids that help keep arteries flexible. Limit salt intake (less than 2,400 mg per day) sugar intake (less than 200 calories per day) alcohol intake
Exercise For A Healthy Heart
Regular exercise is among the most important things you can do for your heart. It helps keep your body in good shape, and it keeps your heart working more efficiently. Exercise also helps release endorphins, which make you feel good.
And remember: don’t just listen to me—do what’s right for you! There are all kinds of activities that count as exercise, including swimming, walking (or running), biking and even dancing (if you’re so inclined).
- Get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week; walk briskly or jog at least three times a week for about 30 minutes each time; strength train twice weekly with 10 repetitions each set; do resistance exercises twice weekly on nonconsecutive days (for example Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday); alternate between cardio workouts and strength training so you don’t overwork any muscle group too much.
This amount of exercise follows WHO’s recommendations for minimal amount of physical activity you should get during every week. WHO stands for World Health Organisation. Reflect on these recommendations and how your physical activity levels look like at the moment. There is a big chance that many of you are not even close to achieving these amount of weekly physical activity. But doing this bare minimum can be a game changer and increase your overall health as well as lower the risk for developing different conditions.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, accounting for nearly one in five deaths from cardiovascular disease. It increases your risk of developing coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Cigarette smoke also causes plaque buildup in the arteries, making it more difficult for blood to flow through them. Smoking can damage small blood vessels in the body, including those in the heart and brain.
In addition to being linked with stroke, smoking may increase your risk of developing atherosclerosis (hardening) of your arteries by increasing levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and fibrinogen — all proteins that contribute to plaque formation. Quitting smoking reduces these risks significantly within weeks or months after quitting because it improves how well your blood clots and reduces inflammation in your body.
- Quit smoking! Smoking has been shown time and time again to have negative effects on cardiovascular health. If you’re trying to quit smoking, use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) like patches or gums—they help keep cravings at bay while allowing your body time to recover from nicotine addiction.
Control Your Cholesterol For A Healthy Heart
A healthy diet is one that includes a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Eating more dietary fiber and having reasonable intake of saturated fat in your diet can help lower blood cholesterol levels.
Many studies show that people who don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other plant-based foods tend to have higher blood cholesterol levels than people who do eat these foods regularly. In fact, researchers have found that increasing the intake of plant-based foods like nuts or seeds can reduce total cholesterol by about 5 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) over time.
Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids are also recommended for lowering blood lipids (fats in the blood). Omega-3 fatty acids found naturally in certain fish oils may help reduce triglycerides when taken in supplement form along with statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). You can also get omega-3s from flaxseed oil or walnuts; however, you need to consume large amounts of these foods to get enough benefit from them
Control High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. It is a condition in which the force of blood against the walls of your arteries is greater than it should be. This can lead to damage of the inner lining, thickening and stiffening of the arteries and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
High blood pressure is typically defined as a reading over 140/90 mmHg (millimetres of mercury). However, this isn’t how it was always defined—and many doctors still think that’s too high for some people. Doctors may use other criteria for diagnosing high blood pressure based on age and sex instead of relying solely on numbers from the patient’s home monitor or office visit with their doctor.
Healthy Heart & Blood Sugar Levels
High blood sugar levels can create insulin sensitivity problems if present for prolonged periods of time. This can lead to development of diabetes. Over time, excessive blood sugar might harm your heart’s nerves and blood vessels. Additionally, diabetic patients are more likely to have additional heart disease risk factors.
Heart failure is more common in those with diabetes. Heart failure is a dangerous illness that indicates poor blood flow from the heart, not that the heart has ceased beating. This may cause your legs to swell and cause fluid to accumulate in your lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Heart failure deteriorates over time, however early identification and therapy can aid with symptom relief and prevent or delay the deterioration of the condition.
Therefore managing you blood sugar levels through regular physical activity and healthy diet is essential. Your heart and overall well-being will thank you.
Manage Stress & Get Enough Sleep
Stress and lack of sleep are two major factors that can cause heart attacks. The longer you don’t get enough sleep, the higher your risk for a heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.
It’s normal to feel stressed out from time to time, but if it becomes a chronic condition, it can lead to serious health problems. There are many different types of stress: work-related pressure, money worries or relationship issues. Stress has been linked with high blood pressure as well as increased chances of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke.
Stress is caused by negative events in your life such as job loss or divorce – but also when positive changes occur like getting married or having children
There are several ways in which stress affects your heart:
- Increased adrenaline production – this hormone increases blood pressure by making more muscle tissue available for contraction.
- Depressed immune system function- this makes you more susceptible to infections.
- Decreased sex drive – which is not good news if you’re trying to conceive!
Healthy Heart Network
The Healthy Heart Network is for those who recognise that Heart Attack is one of the single biggest killers today. For those of you who want to know how to lower your personal risk of suffering one. Fot those who want to know how to help loved ones.
What is The “Healthy Heart Network“?
The Healthy Heart Network is where knowledge breeds confidence. Myths are dispelled. Actual situations are measured and resources are made available for action. Action towards better heart health and a longer, healthier life.
The Healthy Heart Network is also designed to be a mutual-support group. Initial support will come from the Healthy Heart team, but with bigger newwork comes greater support from other members.
Research shows that making effective and lasting change is more successful when you are supported, challenged and held accountable to yourself by your peers throughout the process.
The Healthy Heart Network is designed as your safe, non-judgemental place where you can be yourself and learn. You can interact with other members in a similar position and move forward on your journey to improved heart health and reduced risk of heart attack.
The Network will help you to achieve and understand:
- How to live a longer and healthier life with a stronger heart
- How you can eat more healthily according to your individual requirements for optimum heart health
- How to remove all the confusion and discover exactly what are the best heart health practices for them
- How you can enjoy the support of like-minded people and assorted experts in heart health
- 100% Guaranteed: If The Healthy Heart Network Member Plus Membership does not meet your expectations within the first 30 days you can cancel your monthly membership, anytime, no questions asked.
The Healthy Heart programme facilitates each participant’s journey to improved heart health and reduced risk of suffering a heart attack.
Each week, Network Members are given access to new videos, activities and written resources. They are divided into bite-size chunks making them easy to understand and easy to implement into your busy daily routine.
Conclusion
There are many ways to improve your heart health, but the best way is to start with a healthy diet. Keep in mind that you can’t avoid all the food that might cause damage to your heart, but you can limit these foods as much as possible and replace them with healthy alternatives. It’s also important not only what you eat but also how much time per day you spend sitting down or standing still. Lack of movement can lead towards increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.