Skip to main content

Secret Ingredients To Keep Your Heart Fit

Your heart is one of the hardest working muscles in the body that constantly beats to pump one million barrels of oxygenated blood and to provide nutrients to all other tissues and organs over the course of your life. Still, taking care of this muscle is hardly at the top of anyone’s priority list. Most of us take it for granted, even after knowing it is impossible to survive if our heart starts to function improperly.

Neglecting the health of your ticker may have serious repercussions for your overall health. You may be at the receiving end of a range of diseases and chronic illnesses with your ticker lying at the root of it. Contrary to what you may think, these risks are for everyone, not just seniors. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death of most women in their 20s, and is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States.

This blog aims to highlight the secret ingredients to keep your ticker fit and fabulous:

The right foods- Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, Bok choy), foods rich in fiber (whole grains) and omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish, such as tuna, mackerel, sardines; walnuts, ground flaxseed) are an integral part of a cardiac diet. This you should follow religiously while staying away from foods high in saturated fat (whole milk, bacon) and trans fats (go for baked or roasted foods instead of fried stuff, also limit intake of red meat) and foods high in salt (cereal, condiments, sauces) and sugar (ice cream, cakes, cookies, soft drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened milk and yogurt).

Workout for your heart- The American Heart Association recommends exercising for at least 30 minutes. Any form of aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, running will be adequate. If you already have heart disease or any other chronic condition or haven’t been exercising regularly, it is best to consult with a physician before embarking on an exercise regimen.

Apart from aerobic exercise, your heart can also benefit immensely from resistance training or strength training.

Break bad habits- It is true smoking is one of the most stubborn habits to break, but carrying on with this habit can be detrimental to the health of your ticker. It is a great idea and always a good time to quit smoking. People who smoke are twice as likely as others who don’t to have a heart attack.

Manage your weight- Keeping your weight in a healthy range will help keep your blood pressure in check, thereby keeping heart disease at bay. Limiting portion size to keep a check on your calorie intake, being physically active as much as possible, and consulting with your doctor about your weight if you think that you are overweight or weigh too little, can all help you achieve your purpose of maintaining a healthy weight.

To undergo CPR training, don’t look beyond the AHA certified CPR Tampa in PalmHarbor. Learn under the mentorship of AHA certified CPR instructors. To sign up for a class, contact CPR Tampa at 727-240-9404. Become AHA CPR certified at the end of your class.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ways to Handle Heart Emergencies and Tampa CPR Classes

Some of the heart emergencies include heart attack or myocardial infarction, a sudden cardiac arrest or SCA (sometimes called out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - or OCHA) and an angina attack or unstable angina. These are life-threatening emergencies and a victim would require proper and immediate treatment for survival. Joining a CPR class Tampa and learning the valuable life-saving procedures is one of the best ways that can help you to handle heart-related emergencies. Always select an accredited training center for acquiring training such as the AHA certified CPR Tampa. Experienced instructors conduct the classes through a series of audio and video lectures and hands-on practice. There are courses for both healthcare and non-healthcare providers.  Symptoms of Heart Attack : Chest pain is the most vital symptom which often starts in the middle of the chest and moves to the neck, jaw, ears, arms and wrists. It can travel between shoulder blades, back or stomach ar...

Risks, Types and Causes of Atrial Flutter and CPR Classes in Palm Harbor

Atrial flutter is a problem when the atria of the ticker beats rapidly and regularly due to an anomaly of the ticker’s electrical system that usually results in a tachycardia (an abnormally fast heart rate). An individual with the condition may get feelings like near-fainting, rapid heartbeats (palpitations), mild shortness of breath and fatigue. During atrial flutter, the ticker beats extra fast about 250-400 beats per minute. This type of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) can be dangerous because complications can easily develop, and a normal heartbeat is 60-100 beats per minute. Atrial fibrillation is another arrhythmia that atrial flutter is closely related to. Atrial Flutter Types : 1.       Persistent atrial flutter which is more or less permanent. 2.       Paroxysmal atrial flutter which can come and go. An atrial flutter episode usually lasts hours or days. Risks: The main danger is that your ticker doesn’t p...

Facts About Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease

The aortic valve is a one-way valve between the heart and the aorta, regulating blood flow from the heart into the aorta. It is the main artery from the ticker/the major blood vessel that distributes oxygen-rich blood to the body, and also prevents the blood from flowing back from the aorta into the ticker when the pumping chamber relaxes. Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease (BAVD) is one of the most common congenital heart conditions that can go unrecognized for years without incident. Surgery is the only fix once it starts to cause problems. Normally, the aortic valve has three small flaps or leaflets that open widely and close securely to send oxygenated blood on a one-way route from the heart to the aorta. But in bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD), the valve has only two leaflets, which can cause life-threatening problems. This congenital heart condition affects about 1-2 percent of the population, and it is twice as likely to develop in men, might go unrecognized for years i...