World Heart Day: 10 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

From keeping the weight in check, blood pressure under control to maintaining optimum levels of cholesterol, it's important that we keep our hearts healthy.

10 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

• Quit smoking

  Cigarettes contain toxic substances like tobacco and tar that are harmful for the throat, lungs and heart. They also contain chemicals that can enter the bloodstream and enter the heart, damaging not only the organ but the arteries and the blood vessels.

• Manage your blood pressure

  High blood pressure forces your heart to work harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. This might not only lead to heart strokes but other cardiovascular problems as well. One can prevent the diseases by adopting a healthy and stress-free lifestyle.

• Exercise regularly

  Regular physical activities can do wonders for the heart. One must include moderate workouts, keeping the blood pressure in check. The best way to participate in regular physical activities is by walking, running, jogging, playing sports like cricket, football or basketball.

• Keep yourself hydrated

  A human body is made up of 70 percent water. Water plays a crucial role in the biochemical processes that take place inside the body and a few of them help the body to get rid of toxins and waste substances. They also help in the circulation of blood and oxygen in the body to avoid any pressure on the heart.

• Regular check-up

  It is important that a person goes for health check-up often because regular cardiovascular screening helps you detect risk factors in their earliest stages.

• Reduce alcohol consumption

  The studies under National Corporation of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) prove that excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, heart strokes, heart failures, hypertension, peripheral arterial disease or cardiomyopathy.

• Avoid saturated fat

  Foods like butter, ghee, fatty meats, dairy products and processed food are filled with saturated fats and can increase the risk of heart-related diseases. Instead of these items, one can switch to fish, steam and grilled foods, low fat dairy products among others.

• Manage stress

  Stress has been considered as the silent killer and they also put a person under risk of cardiovascular diseases. Depression and anxiety make it difficult for the management of heart related diseases. It is important that one learns ways to manage stress like listening to music, avoiding overwork, going for a walk, meditating, participating in your favourite activity among others.

• Eat healthy

  Heart related diseases are the reason for one out of three deaths across the world. Diet plays an important role to keep the heart problems at bay and lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach are filled with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants which strengthen the arteries. Berries, walnuts, dark chocolate, beans, whole foods also promote a healthy heart.

• Keep your weight in check

  Too much sugar can lead to weight gain which results in diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Excess body weight puts strain on the heart to pump blood. The body requires more energy as a result of which more circulation of blood and oxygen in the body. It is always advised to maintain a healthy weight in order to keep diseases at bay.