Know More About How A Strong Heart Is Within Your Reach

Regardless of your age, you must work towards keeping your heart in good shape. While it is true the risk for heart disease increases with increasing age, the American youth is equally prone to heart disease these days. The factors responsible for rise in heart attacks in individuals aged 20-30 years old are diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking cigarettes and vaping, and substance abuse. Not to mention the stress, anxiety, loneliness, job loss amplified by the pandemic.

This blog aims to throw light upon the various things you can do to strengthen your ticker. According to a study, following these practices even at age 50 can increase your life span by an extra 14 years for women, and an extra 12.2 years for men. Hopefully this is reason enough for you to jump on the path to heart health.

Here are the lifestyle habits you should follow, regardless of age:

Stop smoking- The importance of giving up this habit cannot be emphasized enough. Smoking makes it twice as likely to develop heart disease. Even if you have been a habitual smoker, it is never too late to reverse the damage. It is just a decision on your part to take, and see noticeable changes in the form of a drop in your blood pressure and heart rate within 20 minutes of quitting. This is the effect stopping smoking can have on you.

It can be hard to quit smoking, so it is a good idea to fix an appointment with your doctor to arrive at the best way for you to quit smoking.

Cope with stress well- Stress causes the body to release the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones make your ticker beat fast and cause narrowing of the blood vessels in a bid to prepare the body for a flight or fight response. If this goes on continuously meaning you are always stressed, your body may not get the chance to recover after having dealt with the stressor, which can lead to your artery walls getting damaged and also cause high blood pressure.

Keep your weight in a healthy range- Weight in excess can wreak havoc on the health of your ticker by increasing your blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, thereby increasing your ticker’s workload to circulate blood throughout the body, and accumulating fat in your arteries.

Diet and Exercise- A heart-healthy diet comprising foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, legumes, fatty fish, such as tuna, mackerel (contains the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids), while limiting consumption of sugar and red meat, and foods high in salt and trans fat, can positively impact your heart. You should couple eating healthy with regular exercise of at least 30 minutes every day, which can play a huge role in managing weight and cholesterol levels. Walking, jogging, swimming, dancing are physical activities you can try.

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