We all are well aware that heart disease or heart attacks have become the major cause of death worldwide.
However, making small changes in your lifestyle and diet can help prevent heart disease, and reduce your risk of heart attacks. In this article, let’s explore six simple yet effective ways to improve your heart health.
1. Have a heart-healthy diet:
A heart-healthy diet consists of various foods from all the food groups. According to the American Heart Association, a heart-healthy diet should have a variety of vegetables, fruits, skinless poultry, fish, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, nuts and legumes.
You must also reduce your intake of saturated fat and trans fat. Daily consumption of saturated or trans fat causes high cholesterol levels can lead to atherosclerosis, where hard plaque builds up in the arteries.
Red meat, bacon, cheese, butter, ghee, coconut oil, and palm oil are examples of saturated fats.
Apart from these, try to reduce your salt intake. Consuming too much sodium can make you retain water, as a result, your heart has to make much effort to move the additional fluid.
You can replace your salt intake with various herbs and spices. A DASH diet is a smart way to lower your sodium intake.
2. Get active:
If have a sedentary lifestyle then try to get active, because physical activity plays a huge role in maintaining good heart health. Getting active does not mean that you have to do vigorous exercises.
You can simply try walking or running to maintain physical fitness. According to various studies, it has been found that 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week can help you maintain cardiovascular health.
3. Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke:
We all know how dangerous smoking tobacco can be. Smoking or second-hand smoke is the leading cause of lung cancer, and it also hugely impacts the heart.
That is why if you want to lead a healthy life, try quitting smoking. If you are finding it difficult to quit smoking, you can also get professional help.
4. Limit your consumption of alcohol:
Drinking alcohol daily can increase your risk of heart disease. According to various studies, drinking alcohol in moderate quantities is considered normal.
5. Manage your weight:
If you are overweight, you are putting too much pressure on your heart. That is the main reason why it is important to maintain a healthy weight.
An individual’s healthy weight range depends on various factors including height, age and physical condition. You can talk with your doctor or dietician to learn about your ideal weight.
6. Manage your stress
Stress can increase your blood pressure which can contribute to heart disease. That is why, it is important to relax. You can reach out to loved ones if you feel stressed.
You can try deep breathing exercises if you ever feel stressed at your workplace. There are several ways which can help you relax.
Apart from all these, it is also important to get a full body checkup once a year to get clear information about your overall health.
Thyrocare packages have a variety of diagnostic and screening tests which can help you understand your cholesterol levels and heart health.
