Healthy Heart

Ways to Keep Heart Healthy

There are certain ways you can prolong your heart health and avoid heart problems in later life. Moreover, these steps are also key to healthy heart management and blood pressure control if you are already suffering from cardiovascular problems.

Have a Good Diet

A healthy body needs a healthy diet. After all, you are what you eat! A full diet that contains unsaturated ‘good’ fats, fiber vitamins, and minerals is key to healthy heart. Including a combination of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will provide you the nutrition needed for a healthy life.

Physical Fitness

Being physically fit and having ideal body weight are also important factors for keeping the heart healthy. Obesity is one of the primary reasons behind high blood pressure, diabetes, and high level of cholesterol. Start with small achievable goals to shed weight and get back to full fitness in order to improve heart health. Health and wellness coaching can help you with healthy weight management through diet and exercises that you enjoy such as dancing, yoga, Pilates, gym, or aerobics.

Control Blood Pressure

High blood pressure may cause damage to blood arteries which may impact proper blood flow in future, affecting heart health. The first move should be to reduce salt intake. Instead, use herbs and spices to enhance flavors. Stay active and take guidance from a coach for healthy blood pressure management.

Keep a check on Cholesterol Level

Stay away from bad cholesterol that tends to stick to the walls of arteries causing obstruction in blood flow. To do this keep bad fat intake to minimal. Use good fat to fight the bad fat. It is also important to keep a check on blood lipid profile regularly by taking blood tests.

Quit Smoking

Smoking increases the chances of heart disease significantly. Smoking damages blood vessels that regulate blood flow in our body. Take help for smoking cessation if you are not able to do it yourself. Reach out to self-help groups or health and wellness coaches to know about effective treatments which best suit your case.

Health Check-ups

It is important to undergo full body health checkups at least once or twice a year so you know that the steps you are taking for healthy heart are proving successful. Keeping track of your overall health will also help identify any signs that may lead to other health issues.

Healthy Foods for Heart

The internet is full of advise about food for a healthy heart but few actually work. You don't have to rely on fad diets that leave you feeling starved but stick to certain basic principals to ensure you are eating a healthy diet. Here’s a list of top 10 foods that are easy to find and add in your daily diet:

• Leafy Greens - Spinach, lettuce, kale, parsley, etc., are loaded with Vitamin B called Folate. Folate plays a major role in preventing heart disease. Leafy vegetables also have nitrates that help in widening the thinned blood vessels for a smoother flow of blood throughout the body.
• Broccolli - Eating fiber-rich veggies like broccoli can reduce the risk of heart diseases. It contains fibers, vitamins and fatty acids that make the heart healthy by reducing bad cholesterol.
• Oatmeal - Oatmeal is a superfood for people suffering from diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular problems. Oatmeal has high levels of fiber that help in reducing LDL levels.
• Legumes - Packed with protein and fiber, Legumes help in maintaining cholesterol levels. They help in reducing the risk of obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
• Almonds - In studies, almonds have shown good results in reducing bad cholesterol. Making them part of the recommended balanced diet for keeping the blood vessels healthy.
• Tofu - It is a good source of heart-healthy nutrients like soy protein, fiber, polyunsaturated fats and minerals. Soy protein contains Isoflavones that fight against inflammation and bad LDL cholesterol.
• Brown Rice - It contains fiber and magnesium both of which are known to make the heart healthier and less vulnerable to heart disease or a stroke.
• Olive Oil - It is considered one of the most healthy cooking oils. It is rich in good fats and antioxidants, which help reduce cholesterol. It is available in many forms and suits all kinds of cooking.
• Walnuts - These are one of the very few vegetarian sources of good, monounsaturated fat (MUFA) called Omega-3. Good fat helps fight cholesterol in the body. Moreover, it also contains fiber that is beneficial for heart health.
• Sweet Potatoes - Want a healthy heart? Try potassium-rich sweet potatoes that help reduce sodium levels which in turn brings down blood pressure and lowers the risk of heart disease. Sweet potatoes also have a low glycemic index, hence, they won’t spike your blood sugar level, unlike regular white potatoes.

Coaching for Healthy Heart

Remember, a medical condition can only be treated well if it is diagnosed well on time.

Heart health can be self-managed if we are careful, however, when it comes to heart problems, you should always consult the doctor first. With timely treatment you can avoid long term complication and work with a health and wellness coach for long term, sustainable blood pressure management.

Health and wellness coaching can also help in case you have underlying lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking addiction, in addition to a chronic heart disease. A health and wellness coach subscribes to your way of life before creating short and long-term plans for recovery and management of your heart health. The pathway includes,

• Identifying the root cause of your heart problems
• Devising a personalized plan that fits your holistic wellness vision
• Moderating other lifestyle diseases that might be affecting your heart health
• Anchoring personalized nutrition and exercise plans to form healthy lifestyle habits based on science and evidence based behavioral modifications
• Assistance with the emotional impact of a chronic illness like cardiovascular diseases

With expert help from a health and wellness coach, you can overcome most heart health problems and achieve overall health improvement and longevity.