10 ways to keep your heart healthy

Simple tips and tricks to keep your heart healthy and increase your longevity.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: November 3, 2015 7:32 pm

Your heart works 24X7, beating every second, pumping blood to the other organs and keeps you alive. You know what your heart does for you, but do you know what you can do for your heart? Often we fail to realise that the things we do, knowingly or unknowingly, can affect our heart adversely. ‘Our sedentary lifestyle coupled with the lack of physical exercises and other vices takes a toll on our heart. But the saving grace is that some simple lifestyle modifications can help us avoid those pitfalls and make our heart healthy,’ says Neeraj Mehta, Fitness Expert, Nutritionist and Director GFFI Fitness Academy. Here are 10 tips to prevent heart diseases.

1. Have a healthy breakfast: If you are someone who skips breakfast often, because you are pressed for time in the morning, then you are making your heart suffer in silence. ‘Studies suggest that if you skip breakfast every day you are 27 percent more likely to suffer from coronary heart diseases as compared to those who have a healthy breakfast. Moreover, skipping breakfast could also make you prone to suffer from high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, all of which increases the chances of suffering from a heart condition,’ says Neeraj. On the other hand, having a healthy breakfast would keep you energetic, regulate blood sugar levels, save you from mid-morning bingeing and help keep your heart healthy. Here are three healthy breakfast ideas to kickstart your day.

2. Make exercise a habit: This isn’t something you didn’t know. However, the importance of exercise and heart health cannot be stated enough. ‘You can have lots of excuses to not hit the gym or exercise – lack of time, a busy schedule, maintaining a balance between home and work, etc. But there are ways in which you can incorporate some physical activity into your routine even while doing your mundane chores,’ says Neeraj. Some tips that he suggests to be physically active throughout the day are:

• Take stairs instead of lifts or escalators.

• Park your car at the far end of the parking area so that you could walk to the office.

• Ditch TV and take a walk after dinner.

• Go cycling, swimming, trekking or jogging on the weekends.

• Play your favorite sport rather than watching it. Plan a get-together with your buddies on weekends or keep an hour after office reserved for your sport.

3. Try weight lifting: Lifting weights is not a body builder’s prerogative alone; weight training can be very effective in regulating your heart functions too. Continuous weight training has other benefits like weight loss, improved cardiovascular strength, muscular strength, balanced cholesterol level, better blood circulation and flexibility. Remember, for weight training you don’t have to hit the gym always. Get a pair of dumbbells and start exercising at home. Here are six ways in which exercise can help you keep your heart healthy.

4. Brush and floss daily: Your oral health is innately related to your heart health. ‘Recently a Harvard study also pointed out that there is a direct connection between one’s oral and coronary health. This is because the bacteria found in the mouth cavity can cause blood clotting in the arteries or even lead to a heart attack,’ says Neeraj. So you should diligently follow a routine of brushing and flossing twice daily and visit a dentist at least once in a year. Here are 10 causes of bleeding gums that you need to know about.

5. Keep off stress: This is easier said than done. However, it is essential to take necessary steps to reduce the impact of stress in your life at least for your heart’s sake. ‘When you are stressed or depressed your brain releases stress hormones such as cortisol. If your body is exposed to such negative hormones for a long period, then it may lead to imbalanced cholesterol level, high blood pressure and affect blood sugar level. All these issues may lead to severe heart disease,’ explains Neeraj. Try these yoga poses to ease stress from your life.

6. Check your salt intake: Too much of salt intake does not work in favor of your heart. ‘Excessive salt intake increases water retention in the body. If there is too much of the fluid in the body, then internal organs such as kidneys and heart would need to work harder to function and eliminate the toxins. However, do not cut down on your salt intake drastically. Try and maintain a low sodium intake as much as possible,’ advises Neeraj. Here is how you can minimise your salt intake and control your blood pressure.

7. Quit smoking: ‘Smoking is harmful to you in many ways. But it is more detrimental towards your heart health. This is because nicotine gets stored in the arteries and over a period can make them narrower making it difficult for blood and oxygen to flow through them. This could put undue pressure on the heart,’ says Neeraj. Here are is a real account on how one survived the first two months after quitting smoking.

8. Watch what you eat: What you eat also has an effect on your heart. Make it a point to choose your food cautiously. ‘Seasonal vegetables and fruits should be an essential part of your diet. Super foods such as broccoli, spinach, oats, oranges and berries should be a part of your diet as they are excellent for your heart. They are extremely rich in nutrients and also have several medical benefits. Practice eating in moderation and drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated,’ advices Neeraj. Here are five superfoods that help to prevent heart disease.

9. Go for a health check-up: Going for an annual health check-up after the age of 30 is a good idea. Most lifestyle diseases are silent in nature, and you only realise the severity of the disease when it has reached an advanced stage. So keep a tab on your health going for annual check-ups and discussing your health prospects with your family doctor.

10. Have at least eight hours of sleep: Make up for your sleep deficit of the week during your weekends. Sleep shouldn’t be optional for you but a priority. ‘Sleep deprivation can lead to imbalances in blood circulation, increase stress, disrupts blood glucose levels all of which have a negative impact on the heart,’ says Neeraj.

Here’s a little more information

Image Source: Getty Images