10 Simple Habits to Maintain Our Heart Health
Good afternoon dear Steemingzen members, how are you? I hope you are all well and always in God's protection. On the occasion of this morning, allow me @muhammadhidayatt to continue the discussion about heart health and the theme I will discuss here is: 10 Simple Habits to Maintain Our Heart Health.
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A heart attack is a medical emergency that can affect our entire life and can be fatal. However, by adopting healthier lifestyle changes and following doctor's guidelines, we can play a big role in recovery, as well as help prevent future heart attacks.
There are various ways to maintain heart health that we can do regularly to prevent the risk of heart disease in the future. Ways to maintain heart health include changing eating habits to become healthier, exercising regularly, and reducing bad habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and so on.
How to Maintain Heart Health
In the following I will explain how to maintain heart health that we can practice in everyday life.
1. Eat healthy fats, avoid trans fats.
Fat is one of the important sources of macronutrients for our body, including saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and unsaturated fat. But one type of fat that we don't need is trans fat, because it has the potential to increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.
Reducing the intake of trans fats can improve blood flow throughout the body, so it is one way to maintain heart health. Trans fats are commonly used in packaged baked goods, snacks, margarine, and fast food which are fried to add flavor and texture.
In addition to avoiding too much fried food, try to be more careful in reading labels on food. Trans fats are usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Therefore, look for foods with 0% trans fat.
2. Maintain healthy teeth and mouth.
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Maybe many of us do not suspect that maintaining healthy teeth and mouth is part of maintaining a healthy heart. As it turns out, dental health is an indication of overall good health, including the heart. Because, periodontal or gum disease often has the same risk factors as heart disease.
A number of studies are continuing on this subject, but some existing studies suggest that bacteria in the mouth involved in the development of gum disease can move into the bloodstream and cause an increase in C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in blood vessels. This condition can ultimately increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
3. Regular exercise.
Regular exercise is also one way to maintain our heart health. According to what I read in the American Heart Association (AHA), recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
If friends feel they don't have that long to exercise, we can also shorten it by increasing the intensity of the exercise. According to what I quoted from Health, for the sake of a healthy heart we can also combine moderate and vigorous exercise for 75 minutes per week. We can also divide the duration into days and times of day.
4. Manage stress.
Managing stress well is also a way to maintain our heart health. Stress can not only burden the heart, but can also trigger other unhealthy behaviors, such as a sedentary lifestyle and overeating. Both of these can lead to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which in turn contribute to an increase in heart disease.
Everyone has their own effective way of managing stress. My advice, try to find things that can help us manage stress, such as doing meditation or doing deep breathing exercises. You don't need to do it for hours, you just need to spend a few minutes.
5. Get enough sleep.
Sleep is an important part and that needs to be done to maintain overall heart health, including as one of our ways to maintain heart health. Lack of sleep can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of a person's age and healthy habits.
A study I quoted from the Cleveland Clinic, 3000 adults over the age of 45 found that those who slept less than 6 hours per day had a risk of stroke or heart attack twice as great as those who slept 6 to 8 hours per day. I also believe that too little sleep can lead to disturbances in underlying health conditions and other biological processes, including blood pressure and inflammation.
6. Avoid sitting for too long (moving a lot).
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Sitting too much is not good for health, no matter how hard one is exercising. This has been proven over the years through various studies. Unfortunately, many people are forced to sit for long periods of time because of the demands of work.
In addition, sitting for long periods of time, especially when traveling also increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis or blood clots. That's why, as part of maintaining a healthy heart, it's important to try to move throughout the day. We can also apply it through simple activities, such as parking a vehicle further away or using public transportation that forces us to walk more.
7. Avoid smoking (quit smoking).
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Smoking is associated with a number of serious health problems. Although smokers are also aware of it, many of them continue their bad habits.
Not only is it bad for your heart and lung health, smoking can also be bad for your overall health. For that, if friends are looking for ways to maintain heart health, please try to reduce or stop smoking. People who are often exposed to cigarette smoke also get the bad effects.
8. Avoid alcohol.
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In general, alcohol is not good for the heart. There is no safe limit for alcohol consumption. If friends are looking for ways to maintain a healthy heart, you should avoid this drink completely.
According to what I read from the summary of the study results published in the journal The Lancet; Overall, the health risks associated with alcohol are in line with the amount consumed each day. Researchers also estimate that one drink of alcohol a day increases the risk of disease by 0,5%. Meanwhile, if someone consumes an average of two alcoholic drinks per day, the risk increases to 7%.
9. Reduce salt intake.
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Consuming too much salt can also trigger high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease. For this reason, as one way to maintain heart health, it is important to reduce daily salt intake.
The AHA recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, or about a teaspoon. However, most adults should ideally not consume more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
10. Consume more vegetables and fruits.
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Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals for our bodies. Not only that, they are also low in calories and rich in fiber. Like other plant-based sources, vegetables and fruits contain substances that can help prevent cardiovascular disease. So, as part of how to maintain a healthy heart, it is important to try to consume more vegetables and fruits.
Eating more vegetables and fruits can also help reduce the consumption of high-calorie foods, such as meat and other unhealthy snacks.
My advice for all of my Steemingzen friends is, don't be lazy in consuming vegetables and fruits, friends.
Reference source:
https://www.diglogs.com/indonesia/10-simple-habits-to-keep-your-heart-healthy/
Okay friends, maybe this is all I can discuss on this occasion. Hopefully my post can be useful for all Steemingzen friends. See you again in my next post, thank you...
@muhammadhidayatt
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