Did you know that cardiovascular diseases are one of the world’s leading causes of death? It is estimated that 1 in every 3 deaths happen to people who have heart diseases. It is vital to keep your heart healthy to avoid being part of this statistic. To do this, you need to take some measures to keep your heart healthy.
A good diet and regular exercise are vital in keeping your heart healthy. However, you can still put in other measures to make sure that your cardiovascular system is healthy. This article will expound on some of the ways and ideas you can put into action to take care of your heart and blood vessels. They include:
Eat a Healthy Diet
To help keep your heart healthy means eating a well-balanced diet. This can be a combination of fruits, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and nuts. Reduce the salty meats like bacon, hotdogs, ham, and sausages. You can also avoid eating salty foods like dried fish. You can also cut back on consuming canned, processed, or fast foods, replacing sweetened snacks like cake and cookies with fresh fruit and vegetables, and substituting beverage sodas with water or fresh fruit juices. Another measure you can put in place is replacing high sodium condiments such as soy sauce and ketchup with vinegar to season your food.
Eating healthy also means cutting back on trans fats. These are known to raise the chances of you getting health disease or having a stroke. However, it does not mean you should not take fats in your diet. They play a crucial role in the role. However, trans fats are one thing that your body does not require. Trans fats are known to block your arteries and raise harmful cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol levels. You will enhance your blood flow in your body if you reduce trans fats intake into your body. They are mainly fried fast foods and margarine.
See a Cardiologist at Least Once a Year
It is not enough to just eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. Make sure you seek a health practitioner’s opinion and let them run some tests. Schedule a meeting with a cardiologist in California at least once a year so that they can run some tests on your blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol levels, as well as get some advice on what you can do to improve your heart’s health. It is crucial to keep in mind any recommendations made by your doctor and take any medications that you are prescribed by your doctor.
Stop Smoking
Using tobacco or even exposure to second-hand smoke can damage your heart. Smoking is likely to expose you to risks like heart attacks. Avoiding smoking can be the best gift you can give to your heart. This is because smoking causes damage to the lining in your arteries; it also decreases the amount of oxygen in your blood and raises your blood pressure. After a year, people who quit smoking reduce heart disease risk compared to those who still smoke. However, it might take about fifteen years to have the same reduced risk as a non-smoker.
Exercise Regularly
Physical activity will help you improve your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels. It also improves weight control and other blood lipids. Stepping, jogging or marching even while in your house can help you. Other activities you can try include climbing stairs, dancing, doing household chores, or even gardening spread evenly throughout the week. It is better to have some physical activity than have none. Try to put at least 15 to 30 minutes of activity into your schedule every day. If you consider yourself inactive, you can start small with less strenuous activities and then progressively increase the intensity, duration, and frequency you exercise.
Keep Stress Levels in Check
The body has more than 1400 biochemical responses to stress, including increased blood pressure and a faster heart rate. It is crucial to regulate your stress levels to avoid increased cortisol levels and keep you in a healthy stress cycle. When you are stressed, you are more likely to drink alcohol in excess, exercise less, and even smoke. These are all linked to heart problems. It is essential to take a stress test often to find out how high or low your stress levels are. A cardiologist can also advise you on how these stress levels are causing health problems and give advice or medication.
Watch Your Weight
If you have a body mass index of 25 or more, then you are considered overweight. Central obesity means that you have a high waist circumference of more than 80 cm for women and 90 cm for males. Higher waist circumference points to more abdominal fat that is associated with developing cardiovascular disease. This is because overweight people risk getting type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol levels. Reducing the levels of sugar, saturated fat, and alcohol while at the same time eating more fruits and vegetables can help you reduce weight. You are advised to have about 500 kilocalories in your diet daily. This, coupled with more exercise, will help you lose weight progressively.
Reduce Your Level of Alcohol Intake
The consumption of alcohol is directly linked to a lot of diseases and injury conditions. One of them includes cardiovascular diseases. If you cannot take alcohol moderately, it is better to avoid drinking alcohol to make your heart healthier. This is because alcohol can cause high blood pressure, damage to your heart muscles, and abnormal heart rhythms. However, it is essential to remember that you need to drink in moderation rather than drinking excessively. The recommended drinking levels include two to three units a day for women and three to four units for men.
Drink More Water
Water is essential to your heart’s health. It is vital to have a bottle of water everywhere you go. This will also come in handy in increasing the strength of your arms. If you can take about 2 liters of water daily, this will help you be hydrated.