Pathway to Heart Wellness: Seven Steps to a Healthier Heart
Written by Amanda E. Lampong
Published on 22 November, 2023
We are all aware of how vital the heart is as it is one of the body’s primary organs and malfunctioning heart can lead to a number of illnesses. Nowadays, heart-related diseases can affect anyone, regardless of age. Therefore, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential if you want to keep your heart healthy. Here are a few steps you can follow to maintain the health of your heart.
1. Quit Smoking
One of the main risk factors for heart disease is smoking. Giving up smoking is one of the best things you can do for your heart. The heart and blood arteries can be harmed by the chemicals in tobacco.Smoking cigarettes lowers blood oxygen level, which raises blood pressure and heart rate. This is because the heart needs to pump more blood to the body and brain.
After quitting, the risk of getting heart disease will start to decrease little by little. It also help to protect families and friends for the health risks of secondhand smoke.
2. Stay Physically Active
To maintain a healthy heart, regular exercise is the key as it can lower the risk of heart disease. You should aim for at least 30 to 60 minutes of daily activities such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming or running.
When done regularly, moderate-to-intense physical activity helps improve your heart muscle. This can enhance the heart’s ability to pump blood to the body’s organs, including the lungs. These results in increased blood flow to your muscles, raising the oxygen content of your blood.
3. Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet
Consuming a nutritious diet will lower the chance of heart disease and improve blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Focus on consuming a range of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and leans proteins while reduce the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and sodium.
You also can consider adopting a heart-healthy food plan such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan and the Mediterranean diet.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight can lead to conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes that can raises the chance of getting heart disease. To maintain a healthy weight, you need to adopt a balanced nutrition and exercise.
An individual is deemed overweight if their body mass index (BMI) is 25 or greater. You can determine how much belly fat you have by measuring your waist circumference. A waist measurement of more than 40 inches (101.6 cm) for males and 35 inches (88.9 cm) for women is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
5. Monitor and Control Health Conditions
Monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels. Heart disease risk can be considerably raised by diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.You can find out your numbers and whether you need to take action by taking screening tests on a regular basis.
6. Manage Stress
Ongoing stress may contribute to hypertension and other risk factors for heart disease. Some people managed stress in unhealthy ways. For instance, they might smoke, drink alcohol or overeat. There are plenty of healthy ways to do to reduce stress, such as physical activity, yoga, meditation and relaxation exercises
7. Practice Good Hygiene
Heart problems may result to form certain infections. For example people with gum disease (periodontal disease) have two to three times the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular event. Numerous studies have demonstrated that oral bacteria that contribute to gum disease development can enter the bloodstream and raise C-reactive protein, a sign of blood vessel inflammation.Your risk of heart disease and stroke may rise as a result of these changes.
If you are struggling with heart-related diseases, contact us at Swiss Stem Cell to schedule a consultation. We offer advanced treatment using stem cell therapy with the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) that can help to treat your health problems.
REFERENCES
- Harvard Health Publishing. (2021, February 15). Gum disease and heart disease: The common thread. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/gum-disease-and-heart-disease-the-common-thread#:~:text=Known%20as%20atherosclerosis%2C%20this%20fatty,not%20be%20a%20direct%20connection.
- Mayo Clinic. (2023, August 17). Strategies to prevent heart disease. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease-prevention/art-20046502
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022, March 24). Physical Activity and Your Heart. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits#:~:text=When%20done%20regularly%2C%20moderate%2D%20and,levels%20in%20your%20blood%20rise.
