15/10/2014
TIPS TO IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY HEART
1. Eat a healthy heart friendly diet:
This means a diet low in salt, cholesterol and especially saturated and trans-fats. Processed food usually has a high salt content and contains hydrogenated fats (trans-fats). It would be wiser to have fresh fruit and vegetables. Certain fish such as salmon and
mackerel are high in omega 3 oils which are beneficial to the heart arteries and reduce inflammation. Avoid or limit portions of red meat.
2. Exercise regularly- at least 3 times a week:
Moderately intense exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30-35 minutes is beneficial. However, people often complain that with today’s fast paced and hectic lifestyles they are unable to do so. I have often advised them to park a distance away in the car park from the entrance to their building at work or to enter the mall and then walk. Take the stairs rather than the lift at work, walk the dog, walk in the mall, play with the kids or even do gardening. This all will count towards your exercise time total.
3. Maintain a healthy weight:
People who are overweight are more at risk of developing hypertension, diabetes and heart attacks than those who are not. In the medical profession we usually work this out by utilising your height and weight to get a body mass index (BMI). A normal BMI is
between 17 and 25. Anything above this would mean that you are overweight or obese. In order to maintain a healthy weight, you would have to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Remember as our bodies age we tend to increase our weight and most often this is fat and not lean muscle mass.
4. Don’t smoke or stop to***co use:
Smoking or to***co use in any form whether it be socially, passive smoking or hard core use is detrimental. It has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease including heart attacks and stroke. People who smoke are twice more likely to experience a heart attack than those who don’t.Women who smoke and are on contraception (birth control pills) are at greater risk of a heart attack than those who don’t. This risk increases with age and after the age of 35. The good news is that this risk can be reduced within one year of quitting smoking. The benefits can be seen even if you have been a smoker for a long period of time.
5. Know your Risk Factors:
Certain risk factors contribute and increase your risk of developing cardiovascular (heart) disease. These include hypertension
(high blood pressure), Diabetes and high Cholesterol. Regular checkups of your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol would
allow early detection and therapy. Those already diagnosed with it, need to have aggressive management and monitoring.
6. Stress:
Often as we are faced with many challenges which may stress us out. Stress may put us at increased risk of heart attacks. Stress
(especially chronic stress) may result in unhealthy elevated levels of certain stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol which
could adversely affect our heart. Also stress may result in worsening of other risk factors eg. We may have higher blood pressure and blood glucose levels from stress.It is important to recognise and deal with this stress in an appropriate manner. In some cases you may need to seek professional assistance.
Remember a happy heart is a healthier heart.
