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Did you know that your heart pumps 2,000 litres of blood throughout your body each day at an average rate of 100,000 beats per day? The workhorse of our body is undoubtedly our heart. How well do we care for our hearts, one might ask? One probably doesn't consider this question every day, but it needs to be taken into account.
Every choice made by the individual will likely be on their mind when anything happens, like a heart attack, stroke, or even just chest discomfort, and they find themselves undergoing chest x-rays, ultrasounds, and other diagnostic imaging procedures to figure out what's going on.
Living with or attempting to prevent heart disease requires change. People usually receive advice on changing to a healthier lifestyle after a spike in their blood pressure or cholesterol. It is common advice for heart attack and stroke survivors to change lifelong habits.
Some people easily change their exercise routine, nutrition, and bad habits. The rest of us make adjustments, but we don't always succeed. One might be able to strengthen the health of their heart with several small improvements rather than going through with a major overhaul. Change may not seem so difficult once we get started with it. This strategy might take longer, but it might inspire us to make some significant adjustments.
But perhaps we could all have a better quality of life if we took proactive measures before something went wrong. In light of this, we've outlined a few quick steps we may follow to improve our heart health.
Visit a top heart hospital if you want to learn more about the steps to a healthy heart.
Steps to a Healthy Heart
Here are a few tips you can follow for a healthy heart:
1. Going for a 10-minute walk every day
A little walk is an excellent place to start if someone doesn't exercise at all. If they do, it's a great method to increase their daily workout.
2. Exercise regularly
Swimming, biking, and walking are all excellent options for maintaining heart health. Five days a week, try to get 30 minutes of exercise. The arm muscles can be toned by sometimes lifting a two-pound weight or a hardback book. One should move on to bigger objects or join a gym after that. Spending a few minutes every day practising deep breathing is recommended. One may find it relaxing. Additionally, deep, slow breathing could lower blood pressure.
3. Adapting to a heart-healthy diet
Fruits and vegetables are cheap, delicious, and healthy for the brain, bowels, and everything else in between. Whole grains and lean proteins like chicken and fish are also recommended as part of a heart-healthy diet. Oatmeal, bran flakes, or whole-wheat toast are good choices for a serving of whole grains to start the day with. One can easily save 100 or more calories per day by avoiding just one calorically dense cappuccino or sugar-sweetened beverage. That can result in an annual weight loss of up to 10 pounds. Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts are heart-healthy. Snacking on some instead of chips or cookies, adding some to salads for a nutritious crunch, or substituting them for meat in pasta and other meals are recommended. Every week, substituting fish or other seafood for red meat is recommended. It benefits the heart, the brain, and the waistline. One should reduce their intake of fried, quick, and sweet treats.
4. Maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar
Any individual should maintain a blood pressure of 80–130 mg/dl before the meal and less than 180 mg/dl two hours after the meal. The estimated cholesterol level should be less than 170 mg/dl, which is a healthy cholesterol level.
5. Practising good hygiene
To safeguard our hearts and general health, one should wash their hands frequently throughout the day with soap and water. Heart problems can result from the flu, pneumonia, and other diseases.
6. Avoid smoking
Smoking increases the risk of developing heart disease, chest pains, heart attacks, arrhythmias, high blood pressure, damaged heart tissue, and heart failure. Therefore, one should quit smoking. Quitting is often difficult and necessitates support, which can be obtained from the doctors.
7. Getting a healthy weight
One may start improving their nutrition and moving their body more. As they keep doing this, their body will eventually reach a healthy weight, which can lower their risk of developing heart disease.
8. Stress reduction
Stress may increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. Hence, reducing stress levels is important. One of the most effective strategies to reduce stress is exercise. To reduce stress, though, you can also try journaling, meditation, and getting adequate sleep.
9. Taking medications as directed
One should follow the doctor's advice carefully if they use medication to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. If anything doesn't make sense, one should always ask a question. One should never discontinue taking a medication without first consulting their doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
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