You might have heard the phrase that staying young and having a healthy heart, pave a long way for you. Well, it is an absolute truth. Heart health is vital for your overall well-being, and it's easy to forget how important it is.
Throughout the day, you may not give enough thought to the fact that your heart is constantly working for you. Because it pumps blood and oxygen to all of your organs, hence your heart is the most vital muscle in your body.
When your heart does not receive the necessary care, significant problems can develop in the lining of the arteries, leading to the creation of plaque. Plaque is the cause of heart attacks and blood flow obstruction in the arteries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1 billion people are living with at least one chronic disease that is linked to their heart. According to the report by the WHO Pakistan is ranked 30th in the world with a death rate of 193.56 per 100,000 people every year.
Enough with bad news, the good news is that heart disease can be prevented, effectively by making smart lifestyle choices. Here are some tips for staying healthy.
Know Your Numbers: Along with your weight, height, and BMI, you should be aware of your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Additionally, you need to be aware of any genetic and familial risk factors for cardiovascular disease (such as the presence of a specific gene).
If you're unsure about the significance of any of these crucial statistics, ask your doctor while filling out a medical form. Your lifestyle risk factors include drinking too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and being overweight or obese.
Eat Healthy Food:
One must eat to live, not live to eat - Jean-Baptiste Coquelin
When it comes to a healthy heart, make smart food choices! Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety of foods from all food groups. This means that you should be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and fish. You should also limit your intake of saturated fat and trans fat.
Choose whole grains, pieces of bread, and cereals instead of refined grains or white rice (that's right, white rice is considered a whole grain product). Don't overdo it on the carbs either, a diet high in carbohydrates has been linked to heart disease risk factors such as obesity and diabetes.
Also, limit sugar-sweetened beverages like soda pop or fruit punch drinks to no more than one serving per day when consumed at meals or snacks; if you need caffeine after noon, limit yourself to one 8-ounce cup before going out on the town with friends so that you can enjoy yourself without worrying about adding extra calories into your diet!
Get Active With the Walking Trails and Parks
Walking is an excellent place to start if you want to become and stay healthy. You can do it anyplace, including your neighbourhood, the beach, and even a park. Here’s how it can be beneficial for you:
- It helps burn calories. Walking a mile burns roughly 150 calories, so if you walk a mile every day for 30 minutes at a moderate level (your body will let you know if it's too hard or easy), you'll burn over 300 extra calories a week! That will nourish your body well without causing you to gain any additional weight.
- Walking is a low-impact exercise that doesn't strain your joints or force them into abnormal positions, making it easier on the body over the course of a lifetime than other cardio exercises like jogging or running would be. This is because these exercises put more strain on our bodies over time due to increased physical activity.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
You can evaluate if your weight is healthy with the BMI, a basic tool to measure weight.
A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered to be a healthy weight. Your weight falls within this range, with the lower end indicating a healthy weight and the upper end indicating a high risk of heart disease or other dangerous illnesses like Type 2 diabetes.
It's crucial to take action to lose weight if you're overweight or obese (BMI > 25), for example by exercising frequently and eating well-balanced meals with lots of fruits and vegetables.
Your Heart is the Center of Your Health
Your heart is at the center of your health and well-being, so be sure to take care of it! It may take some time before the effects become apparent, and a healthy heart does not develop overnight. However, accept the lifelong process of becoming more heart and health-conscious rather than trying to "cure" oneself in a short amount of time. And with that in mind, be sure to look after your body on a daily basis. Your heart deserves the same attention as the rest of you.
Avoiding things that can harm our hearts is the best method to keep them in good condition. We can live trouble-free lives if we take care of our bodies and hearts!