Tips for a healthy heart

On this World Heart Day let us all pledge to do something good for our heart so that it keeps us living for long. A healthy heart keeps you away from diseases even in old age and you never feel a drop in your stamina levels. World Heart Day is celebrated to create awareness amongst people to take care of their hearts. It has been seen that most number of deaths in the world occur from cardiovascular diseases than anything else and this has been rising to an alarming rate because of unhealthy practices that we have adopted in the last few decades.

Here are some easy lifestyles changes that you must make to care for your heart and keep it healthy till old age. It may be difficult to start but not at all tough to carry on once you get into the good habit.

·         Quit smoking-

To live healthy for long, you must quit smoking at the earliest. Smoking daily reduces your lifespan and increases a major risk of cardiovascular diseases. Quitting the habit of smoking is the first step that you can take towards improving your heart health. If you can’t quit at once, reduce the number of cigarettes you take daily till the time you really do not feel the dependency to smoke again.

·         Find time to play-

All work and no play can not only make you dull but sick too. Find time for some kind of sport if you can. Play some energetic sport like tennis, basketball or football at least once a week to take a step forward towards keeping your heart healthy.

·         Always take the stairs-

Say no to the elevator and the escalator and take the stairs whenever you can as it’s the best daily exercise for your heart. It keeps you fit and healthy without making you lazy.

·         30 minutes of daily exercise-

Though it should ideally be more than 30 minutes, yet it is an easy and achievable target to start with. Try exercising for 30 minutes daily till you find the stamina to push your limits. It can be something as light as jogging or cycling to heavy cardio at the gym. The mantra is to keep fit at first. Daily exercise is the best medicine for the heart.

·         Avoid saturated fat in diet-

You must avoid all sorts of saturated fat in the diet because it has a tendency to increase bad cholesterol and affect the heart. Avoid red meat, processed foods and full fat dairy products to avoid the concentration of saturated fats in the diet.

·         Eat more fibres-

It is important to have a high fibre diet to keep your heart healthy. Try eating whole wheat bread, cereals, oats, oranges and plenty of vegetables and fruits to keep your daily fibre content more than 30g.

·         Do not eat too much of salt-

Too much salt in your food can have an adverse effect on your heart. Too much of sodium increases the blood pressure which is not at all good for a healthy heart.

·         Cut down on alcohol-

Quit the habit of daily alcohol consumption if you want to have a healthy heart all your life. Alcohol affects the heart directly as well as indirectly by increasing weight and adding pressure on the heart.

·         Get on the dance floor often-

Dancing is considered the best form of all round exercise as it keeps you healthy and works wonders for your heart and figure. Dance often to some fast beat music as it increases the heart rate and makes the lungs pump more which burns huge amount of calories and keeps the heart functioning in great condition.