The heart is the engine room of the body, it plays a vital role in life, sustainability and survival. It determines aging likewise lifespan. In the world we live in today, more and more young people are experiencing cardiovascular challenges, slumping from heart attack and strokes. Heart troubles are no longer just happening to older people, 20 year olds are beginning to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. For some, lifestyle changes can make a huge difference.
Here are Some Tips For a Healthier Heart:
- Improve your diet: Excess belly fat has been linked to higher blood pressure and unhealthy blood lipid levels. Eating fewer calories and including wholegrain cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts in your diet can lower your risk of heart disease.
- Exercise regularly: Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day can reduce your risk of heart attack by one third. Exercising more makes a big difference.
- Eat more fish: Oily fish like tuna, sardines or salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and will boost your good cholesterol. It is advisable to eat fish at least twice a week to boost your heart health. See some more heart healthy foods here.
- Laugh out loud: Don’t just LOL on Twitter, Instagram or Whatsapp posts. Laugh out loud in your daily life. Whether you like watching funny movies or cracking jokes with your friends, laughter is good for your heart. Research suggests laughing can lower stress hormones and decrease inflammation in your arteries.
- Eat chocolate: Dark chocolate not only tastes delicious, it also contains heart-healthy flavonoids. These compounds help reduce inflammation and lower your risk of heart disease. Dark chocolates help heart health when eaten in moderation.
- Limit your alcohol: It is recommended you limit yourself to no more than two standard glasses of alcohol a day if you are a man, or one glass a day if you are a woman. Red wine in particular may offer benefits for your heart. That doesn’t mean you should guzzle it at every meal. The key is to only drink alcohol in moderation.
- Lose yourself in the music : Whether you prefer a rumba beat, two-step tune, hip hop or jazz, dancing makes for a great heart-healthy workout. Like other forms of aerobic exercise, it raises your heart rate and gets your lungs pumping. It also burns up to 200 calories or more per hour.
- Take a diabetes test: Uncontrolled diabetes can damage your artery walls and contribute to heart disease. Keeping your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides in check is important for good heart health.