Top 10 – Health tips for a healthy heart

Top 10 – Health tips for a healthy heart

Want to be heart healthy? Then altering your lifestyle is the key. mDhil brings to you 10 top tips that will help in prevention of heart disease.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Ten tips for a healthy heart:

1) Quit smoking: If you are a smoker you are twice more likely to have a heart attack in comparison to a non-smoker. And from the time you quit, the risk of heart attack reduces.

2) Reduce your salt intake: Too much salt causes high blood pressure, which in turn puts you at risk of coronary heart disease. So cut down on salt. The recommended salt dosage for an adult is 1,600 mg per day. Don’t forget to pay attention to salt levels in processed and packaged food, which is often high.

3) Monitor your diet: A healthy diet can cut your risk of heart attack. A balanced diet containing plenty of veggies and fruits, oily fish, grains are known to be healthy for the heart. Check out our article: Heart healthy foods, for more information.

4) Watch your alcohol: Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle and increase blood pressure along with leading to weight gain. Avoid binge drinking, limit your alcohol intake to two units a day.

5) Get off your ass, start exercising! The heart is a muscle and needs exercise to stay fit. Aim for a 20-minute cardio workout every day. Exercising regularly not only benefits your physical health it also promotes mental well-being.

6) Watch your waist: Did you know cholesterol deposition in blood vessels starts in the first ten years of life? So a lot of extra weight can affect your heart health. And tummy fat can be a pre-indicator of hypertension, bad cholesterol, and risk of heart disease.

7) Stress management: Stress can adversely affect your heart health. The next time you find yourself stressed, try some stress relief techniques to calm the mind. Take time off from your hectic schedule regularly to relax.

Get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked: Those with high blood pressure run a higher risk of a stroke or a heart attack. So keeping a tab on your BP becomes a must to prevent it. Coming to cholesterol, high amounts of bad cholesterol is bad for your heart. Getting your cholesterol levels evaluated will help you alter your lifestyle and diet aiding your heart health.

9) Check your family history: If a close member of your family has high blood pressure or high cholesterol, then you are likely to have a genetic predisposition for the same.

10) Learn to recognise early signs of coronary heart disease: Pressure or discomfort in the chest, neck, shoulders, arm or stomach when you physically exert yourself can be a sign of heart disease. If you are experiencing any of that, get yourself checked. In general, equip yourself with knowledge about heart disease, as it will help you recognise it early on, and subsequently lead to earlier treatment.