The heart beat is the first steady rhythm that a baby hears while in the mother's womb. This is the beat that keeps on going through out his/her life and when the beat comes to an end, so does the individual. It is imperative to take good care of the heart because this is the centre of the body and without a healthy heart the whole body has to suffer. The sufferings can greatly increase if the condition of the heart is not regulated properly and may even lead to sudden death or slow and painful agony. As an organ the heart is vulnerable to develop diseases. This implies an affliction of the heart along with the systems that are associated with it.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. The most important way that you can prevent a heart attack is to change your lifestyle. The three most important areas to change are to improve your nutrition, increase your exercise and stop smoking. Improvements in these three areas can reduce your chances of a heart attack and increase your chances of a long and healthy life. Here are a few tips to get you started:
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Don't Smoke: Don't start smoking, or if you are a smoker, stop smoking. Long-term smokers can cut their risk of heart attack to equal that of non-smokers within just two short years of stopping.
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Cut down on salt: Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Avoid foods like crisps, salted nuts, canned and packet soups and sauces, pizzas and ready meals. Many breakfast cereals and breads that appear healthy also contain high levels of salt, so keep your eye on these too.
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Eat Heart Healthy Foods: Choose foods that can reduce cholesterol and improve heart health, such as fruits (apples, avocados, dried fruits, grapefruit, oranges, strawberries), vegetables (broccoli, carrots, corn, onions), seafood (clams, mussels, oysters), fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (salmon and bluefish), soy, nuts and whole-grain breads and cereals.
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Cut the Fat: To keep your cholesterol level down, limit the amount of fat you eat, especially saturated fat. Your total fat intake should be no more than 30% of your daily calories. Focus on low-fat alternatives to red meat, such as fish or skinless chicken. Lower your intake of dairy fats by switching to low-fat or skim varieties or try soy milk - soy protein can lower cholesterol.
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Know Your Body: What is your blood pressure? What is your cholesterol level? Make sure these indicators are within the normal limits. If not, take the appropriate action to get these within healthier levels.
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Know Your Family Health History: If your father or mother died of a heart attack or suffered from heart disease, you are more likely to be at risk and should be more aware of how to control risk factors. Don't ignore possible symptoms.
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Monitor Your Alcohol: Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking will increase your risk of having a heart attack, so you should aim to limit your intake to one to two units a day.
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Work your heart: The best preventive medicine for your heart is aerobic exercise. It reduces high blood pressure and atherosclerosis by widening the blood vessels. Choose an activity that works the large muscles of your legs and buttocks (like brisk walking or bicycling), and strive to reach your target heart rate for at least 15 to 20 minutes, three or four times a week. A more active lifestyle can control your weight and blood pressure, or help you relax and improve your mood.
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Make sure you can recognize the early signs of coronary heart disease: Tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach which comes on when you exert yourself but goes away with rest may be the first sign of angina, which can lead to a heart attack if left untreated. It could just be heartburn or it could be "the big one." Don't take it for granted that you know what that unexplained chest pain is all about. This is especially true for women who don't present the classic symptoms of heart disease found among men. Consult your physician and tell him/her about the nature of all your symptoms.
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Check for Diabetes: Increased blood sugar can be a factor in the onset of heart disease, especially if you are 20-45 kg (50-100 pounds) overweight. Controlling the disease is often just a matter of losing extra pounds, exercising regularly and following a heart-healthy diet.
Prevention is better than cure so one should work hard to keep their heart healthy in the first place. The only thing one has to ensure to keep his heart healthy is a regulated intake of food and sufficient physical exercise.
