World Heart Day 2023: Eating healthy to remaining active, expert-backed ways to keep your heart healthy
BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi
Embracing a healthy lifestyle at any age can prevent heart disease and lower your risk for a heart attack or stroke. You are never too old to too young to begin taking care of your heart.
Your heart health is central to overall good health. It’s responsible for pumping nutrient-rich blood throughout your body, it supplies oxygen while removing toxins and waste. As the centre of your cardiovascular system, it is vitally responsible for just about everything that gives your body life, ranging from the transportation of oxygen to the success of your immune system. To observe World Heart Day 2023 on September 29, Dr Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Cardiology, Cardiac Sciences, Cardiac Electrophysiology-Pacemaker, Interventional Cardiology, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital has shared a few ways to keep your heart healthy.
You can start by:
Being active: Physical activity and exercise can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and even reverse some risk factors such as being overweight or high blood pressure.
Eating healthy: Eating the right foods can help you control your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Follow a heart-healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.
Get your sleep: Sleeping a solid 7 or 8 hours per night is a marker of good heart health.
Manage blood pressure: Staying active and eating a heart-healthy diet, while lowering salt intake and managing stress, can help prevent the development of hypertension, as well as naturally lower your blood pressure.
Control cholesterol: There are two types of cholesterol: 'bad' cholesterol (low-density lipids, LDL) which clogs arteries, and 'good' cholesterol (high-density lipids, HDL) because it helps remove bad cholesterol from arteries.
If diagnosed, some medications can help manage it, but it’s important to note that these prescriptions have maximal impact when lifestyle changes are also implemented.