10 Good habits to help you maintain a healthy heart

Keep Pumping: 10 Good habits to help you maintain a healthy heart

MF editorial team

12 Jun 2017

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Watch your diet
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is perhaps the most important rule to follow in this list. Cut down on the sodas, the sweet desserts and the fattening products. You should also avoid salty foods. Ingesting too much salt can lead to high blood pressure —if you can help it, consume only 5 grams of salt per day. A Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and omega-3 is ideal. If you can’t give up sweet foods, don’t sweat it — you can indulge in two squares of dark chocolate a day as dark chocolate is good for heart health. Rich in flavonoids (antioxidants), dark chocolate can limit the formation of bad cholesterol, and the magnesium its contains can help to fight against stress.
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Surround yourself with good company
Isolation is one of the causes of cardiovascular disease. Maintaining relationships will allow people to live longer and have a better quality of life. People who are constantly alone or who are deprived of social relations are twice as likely as others to develop cardiovascular diseases. The fact is, remaining alone generates sedentariness, weight gain and stress.
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Regular physical activity
Even if you are not a seasoned athlete, just stand as much as possible during the day and stay in motion! Aim for a few minutes of brisk walking each day to keep your cardiovascular system in top condition.
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Food supplements
Avoid taking dietary supplements to maintain your cardiovascular health. According to many health professionals, they are less effective than if you were to find your nutrients from natural food sources. Only fish-based supplements (such as fish oil in capsule form) can, in the long term, prevent heart attacks.
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Limit alcohol and stop smoking
It is never said enough. Smoking causes health complications. Smoking is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. In fact, studies have claimed that smoking 3 to 4 cigarettes per day can multiply the risk of developing cardiovascular problems by 3. If your other vice is drinking, you should know that overconsumption of red wine is not good for the cardiovascular system either. Of course, when taken in moderation — say, one or two drinks per week — alcohol should not pose a dramatic risk.
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Sleep well
Sleeping 6 to 8 hours a night is the ideal length. Too much or not enough sleep is bad for the heart. According to American researchers, sleeping less than 6 hours will double your risk of a stroke or heart attack. On the flip side of the coin, sleeping for more than 8 hours can multiply the risk of angina pectoris by 2, and multiply your chances of developing coronary disease by 1.1.
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Make love
Maintain your health and your pleasure at the same time! Practicing regular sexual activity helps to maintain arterial and venous circulation, which works the heart. Moreover, making love releases relaxing hormones to help destress your body.
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Keep zen
Everybody should know this by now: stress is very bad for the heart. Stress accelerates your heart rate and increases your blood pressure, which could alter your coagulation rate. It is important to keep stress at bay by relaxing your body and clearing your mind. Exercise, meditation and healthy eating/sleeping habits will help to balance your body.
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Have a good breakfast
Know the importance of a good breakfast. Skipping this most important meal of the day is detrimental to the balance of your body — you require more energy in the day, and to deprive your body of its first morning meal will make your body crave food throughout the day. This is why you tend to overeat during lunch and dinner if you skip breakfast, and pick unhealthier alternatives to make up for the lost calories.
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Brushing your teeth
Brushing your teeth is a daily necessity, of course. Apart from maintaining one’s teeth and having good breath, cleaning your teeth helps to prevent the accumulation of dental plaque, bleeding gums, clot formation and introducing bacteria into the blood.

Women who have reached the age of 40 should start to actively care about their heart health. Many habits are toxic to the cardiovascular system. Discover these 10 tips for a healthier heart.

Heart health is something that many Asian women today do not take into consideration, especially if they lead busy lives in a busy metropolitan city. A simple way to quickly assess if your heart is healthy is to check your body mass index (BMI) regularly, because abdominal obesity can lead to cardiovascular risks. But while it can be a good estimate for the general population, your BMI might not be the most accurate measurement of your health risk.

It might be more accurate to use a measuring tape to measure your waist circumference for a better picture. Many health authorities recommend a circumference of less than or equal to 88cm for women and less than or equal to 102cm for men. It is also advisable to measure your cholesterol levels every 5 years and to check for hypertension.

By being vigilant and following the tips in the gallery above, you should be able to maintain a healthier heart. Don’t wait until it is too late.

Mélanie Philippo & Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

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