The World Heart Federation founded World Heart Day, which is a global campaign observed and celebrated in order to spread awareness regarding the impact of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), among the general population and the methods of its prevention. World Heart Day is currently held on the 29th of September every year, with the introductory event being held back in 2000. CVD is a primary reason behind millions of deaths every year, however, this number can be reduced to a minimal level if everyone adopts a few healthy steps towards maintaining their heart health.
Here are some important steps that you can take towards a healthy heart this World Heart Day:
- Exercise
The primary step towards improving your heart health and keeping it fit is by doing daily exercises. It is a very common process through which you can keep both your physical and mental strength robust and helps in stress hormone reduction, which can come out to be a burden on your heart. Some additional benefits of doing exercise are, that it helps to lower blood pressure, keeps body weight in check, slows the development of diabetes, strengthens muscles, etc.
- Fix Your Diet
Another vital step that you can take today toward a healthy heart is to avoid the types of food that contain saturated fat, refined carbs, high amounts of sodium, sugar, etc. High levels of cholesterol can impact your body and heart health significantly. This is why, you should skip the consumption of red and processed meats, white rice, beverages with added sugar, etc. Instead of this, you should include items like vegetables, fish, fruits, green tea, poultry, whole grains, etc. in your daily diet for a healthier heart and lifestyle.
- Remove Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits
It is well known that smoking, as well as drinking heavy amounts of alcohol, is not good for your health. Smoking can cause the blood to thicken inside the body through the chemicals present in cigarettes and can cause blood clots within arteries and veins. On the other end, high alcohol consumption leads to high blood pressure and is a known agent to cause stroke and heart failure. Thus, in order to have a healthy heart, you must remove these habits from your lifestyle.
- Monitor Your Health
Having preventive health checkups done every now and then will keep you informed about any abnormalities within your heart and body, besides leading a healthy lifestyle and adopting a strict diet. Monitoring your health condition, like blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, etc. will help you take all the preventive measures needed to keep everything in check.
- Minimize Stress
Stress has a very negative effect on your heart health as it raises blood pressure, and increases the chances of heart attack and stroke. The best way to manage stress is by taking adequate breaks, sleeping, indulging in hobbies, listening to music, practising yoga, etc.
These are some of the steps that you can take on your journey toward a healthier heart. It is very easy to keep your health in check and live a better lifestyle.
