This year on World Heart Day, we’re asking you to be a Heart Hero by making a promise … a promise to make a simple change for your heart health…World Heart Federation
Cardiovascular disease is the world’s number one killer today. But it doesn’t need to be this way. By making just a few small changes to our lives, we can reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as improving our quality of life and setting a good example for the next generation.
People from all walks of life who are acting now to live longer, better, heart-healthy lives by making a promise:
- A promise to our families to cook and eat more healthily
- A promise to our children to exercise more and help them to be more active, to say no to smoking and help our loved ones to stop
- A promise as a healthcare professional to help patients give up smoking and lower their cholesterol
- A promise as a policymaker to support policies that promote healthy hearts
- A promise as an employee to invest in heart-healthy workplaces
Anuj Gulati, MD & CEO, Religare Health Insurance (RHI) tells us about five ways to stay heart fit:
This change has come at a cost. This change has brought about sedentary lifestyles which are characterized by stressed work environments, lack of physical exercise, bad food habits & diets etc. Altogether leading to a situation where the average age of a person being getting diagnosed with a heart condition has come down in the last 5 years from 55 years to 40 years.
Mindful living and awareness is the key to reverse this trend. As a responsible Health Insurer, we celebrate good health. I am very happy to share with you five easy steps that can help you prevent heart ailments: –
- Healthy Diet– The most important thing, you need to followin your routine is eating a healthy diet, rich in nutrients. Afterall, nutrition is the key to overall health. According to a research, a diet consisting of nutritious foods like 43 grams of almonds everyday, will lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduce heart attacks. Other healthy heart food options that should be on your platter are salmon, mackerel, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, avocados, fish oil, walnuts, beans, dark chocolates etc.
- Stay Active – Just a healthy diet alone does not suffice. One must add walking, running or some other form of basic exercise in their daily routine. American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercises every week. In a world where we are more connected than ever before, have access to information and mobile apps that helps one track their health status, calories etc., staying young and healthy is just a matter of effectively making use of these sources.
- Regular Health check-ups –It is wise to periodically assess one’s health status. This helps in identifying any underlying ailments much in advance so that one is able to better manage the same.
- Say no to Smoking and tobacco–Even though the perils of smoking are known to one and all, still people tend to ignore this. Smoking doesn’t just impact an individual’sphysicalwell-being but also their emotional and mental well-being. Excessive smoking aside cancers is among the key reasons for heart attacks and other heart related issues such as stroke and angina, moreover, the chemicals in tobacco harm the blood cells and damage the structure and function ofblood vesselsSmoking doubles the rate of heart diseases and that’s one added reason to quit smoking.
- Moderate your alcohol intake- Consuming alcohol in moderate amount reduces the heart diseases but heavy drinking further increases the risks. It causes stress, dilutes the blood and hampers the blood flow.
