According to the American Heart association, maintaining a good heart health reduces chances of cardiovascular diseases by 40%. Keeping your heart in good shape involves little but very key ingredients to a healthy lifestyle such as eating healthy, exercising and avoiding smoking.
If you are reading this article, you probably do not want to be the next victim of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure. So we have detailed some of the important things you need to do to maintain good heart health.
Let’s delve in.
1. Reduce Salt Intake
Most of us have taken processed foods at some time and never checked the sodium content. Well, you could be increasing the salt intake in your body which can increase the blood pressure and put you at risk of cardiovascular diseases. Checking the label of sodium content in the processed foods is very important to ascertain you ain’t taking excess salt. If the label indicates sodium content of more than 0.6g per 100g, avoid that because it is not healthy for your heart.
Reducing salt intake while cooking and even lowering the quantity of table salt you add to your food goes a long way in ensuring your heart is healthy. The recommended daily salt intake for adults is 6g and 3g for children.
2. Eat Healthy Fats
Fats are important in our diets however we only need fats that aid the function of our bodies. Non – saturated and polyunsaturated fats are some of the good fats that we need. We can also consume saturated fats such as the ones found in cheese, butter and ghee but it’s advisable to limit the consumption of these saturated fats.
The one type of fat that we completely don’t need in our system is trans fats because it increases your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or even stroke. It lowers your good cholesterol levels and bolsters bad cholesterol levels in the body. This can lead to clogging of the arteries causing cardiovascular related conditions.
Trans fats are industry produced fats that are often used in packed foods such as margarine, processed snacks and fried fast foods to improve the flavor. By limiting the intake of these fats, you boost the blood flow in your body.
3. Avoid Smoking
An active and passive smoker are both rated as smokers as far as heart health is considered. There are studies that show that the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases is 25 to 30 for people who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke. According to AHA, tobacco use causes about 34,000 heart related deaths and 7,300 cancer of the lungs related deaths.
Smokers and non-smokers who have pre – existing conditions such as high blood pressure are at higher risk of death. This Is because chemicals emitted from smoking tobacco develop a plaque around the arteries which can clog them and interfere with blood flow in the body.
Persons living with underlying conditions like STDs such as HIV/Aids are at risk of suffering heart related conditions if they continue using tobacco and its products.
4. Reduce Alcohol Intake
It is advisable for an adult male to take about three to four units of alcohol a day and two to three units for females. Too much alcohol intake past the recommended limit could put your health at risk. High blood pressure, damage to the heart muscles and abnormal heart rhythms could be caused by too much alcohol intake.
5. Exercise More
The impact of exercise to overall body health cannot be understated. When you do some light jogging or run, the blood flow in your body is highly bolstered ensuring your organs function at optimum levels. Research also shows that people who get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. You could break this down so you have 30 sessions of exercise daily.
Wrap – Up
The heart is a vital organ without which the other body parts cannot function optimally. We have highlighted some of the key things you could do to ensure good heart health.