Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States. And as cliché goes, prevention is more effective than treatment. Your heart will surely thank you for paying attention to its needs and doing everything to keep it functioning at its best. A neglected heart could take a serious toll on your health. So, if you’re serious at living life to the fullest, it’s about time to get serious in taking care of your heart.
1. Keep moving.
Whatever your age, exercise can do you a lot of good. Individuals with heart disease, high blood pressure and chronic illnesses could gradually improve their condition if they do so. The heart also needs exercise to keep it healthy and efficiently pump blood to the major organs of the body. If you have been long inactive, it is best to begin slowly—begin with simple routines first to avoid muscle strain and gradually increase in intensity. Start off your healthy heart regimen with these helpful tips:
2. Eat healthy.
If only every nutritious fare is as appetizing and as mouthwatering as the snack from a fast food chain, chances are, we would be eating them with gusto. But try to have a balanced diet. Eating healthy need not be disagreeable at all. All it takes is to make intelligent choices. Keep off the junk high in saturated fats and sugar. If you cannot just forego frying, use healthier alternatives such as corn or olive oil.
3. Quit smoking.
Chemicals found in tobacco would cause coronary heart disease. A smoker is twice likely to have a heart attack than non-smoker.
4. Manage Stress.
Get to the root of your anxiety and look for ways to manage everyday stress. Look for help from family and peers. And try to vent out anxiety through effective and acceptable ways. An effective time management plan could also help a lot especially if you have a calendar full of deadlines.
5. Recognize signs of early stress.
Angina or the inadequate perfusion to the coronary arteries could be accompanied by chest tightness and chest pain. If left untreated, this could lead to further irreversible injury to the heart muscles which is called myocardial infarction or heart attack. Signs of heart attack can be summarized as DANCE PAD. Dyspnea (difficulty of breathing), Anxiety, Nausea and vomiting, Crushing substernal chest pain, Elevated temperature, Pallor (paleness), Arrhythmias (irregularities in heart beats) and Diaphoresis (profuse sweating).
Lastly, keep a timetable of your periodic consultations to keep your heart in check. The right mix of healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle changes contributes to a healthy heart and overall well being.
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