alltheway-allthemay - Tumblr blog

[alltheway-allthemay]

For The Love Of Heart

Heart, oftentimes, we associate it with love. But aside from love, our heart is one of the major organs of our body. The beating heart may be connoted with the kilig or the romantic excitement we get when we see our crush passing by. However, our heartbeat is also a sign that our heart works hard to pump blood and carry oxygen to the different cells within our body. Without our heart, we won’t be alive. And if our heart is weak, physical activity or any emotional distress which includes kilig is not good for us. So if you still want to feel the kilig and live long so that you can share your love to everyone, let me impart some scientific-based tips on how you can take care of your heart.

1. Eat right. I know at this time and age fast food and processed food had become our go-to meals. But, do you know how these foods affect your heart?  According to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health researchers who examined the eating habits of adults living in Singapore to determine the health risks of eating Western-style fast food. The study found that consuming fast food as little as once a week increases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20 percent. The risk goes up to 50 percent if you eat fast food two to three times weekly, according to the study. Worse still, the risk shoots to 80 percent for those who eat fast food four or more times per week. Isn’t that appalling? Additionally, a study published in the June 2012 issue of the journal "Archives of Iranian Medicine” stated that eating fast food can increase your intake of calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, plus sugar from soft drinks which can alter metabolic factors that increase your risk for heart disease.

Now, you may ask, “what should we eat?” The answer is, eat more fruits (e.g avocado, oranges) and vegetables (e.g. spinach, carrots)  to nourish your heart with vitamins and minerals. Incorporate fatty fishes (e.g tuna, salmon) which contains Omega-3 fatty acids that reduces inflammation in the body, as a result it lowers blood pressure, and decreases risk of stroke and heart failure. Also, avoid food that is very high in sodium as they can raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke (CDC, 2020).

2. Exercise. You should note that heart is a muscle and when you aim to workout to strengthen your muscles, that is not just limited to your biceps or quadriceps. Exercising regularly makes your body's tissue (including the heart) do a better job of pulling oxygen from your blood. This allows your heart to work better under stress and keeps you from getting winded during high-intensity activities. The more efficient your heart is, the lesser beats it needs to pump enough oxygen for the body. Constant exercise also contributes to weight loss especially if you are on the obese spectrum. Obesity increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Depending on your physical fitness, you can start from light activities and gradually work your way to high-intensity workout. If you are someone who suffers some health condition, you should consult your doctor on what kind of exercise to do so that it won’t put you to harm instead.

3. Avoid smoking and alcohol drinking. The nicotine in cigarettes speeds up your heart rate, increases blood pressure, and tightens your major arteries. Also, excessive alcohol drinking can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, or stroke.

4. De-stress. When the body is stressed, cortisol and adrenaline levels rises. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. The long-term activation of the stress-response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of many health problems like heart disease.

One of the ways to de-stress is through meditation for at least 10 minutes daily. Meditation comes along with deep breathing. You can also do yoga for at least 30 minutes. There are a lot of ways to de-stress depending on the person. Just always remember to make time for yourself no matter what.

That’s it! Those are some of the ways you can take care of your heart. You see, you can only take care of others if you can take care of your own; love your heart first before you can love others.

==

References:

Does Fast Food Cause Heart Disease? | Livestrong.com. (2009, October 11). Retrieved April 15, 2021, from LIVESTRONG.COM website: https://www.livestrong.com/article/26855-fast-cause-heart-disease/

CDC. (2020, September 8). Sodium. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/sodium.htm#:~:text=High%20sodium%20consumption%20can%20raise,in%20the%20form%20of%20salt.

Chronic stress puts your health at risk. (2019). Retrieved April 15, 2021, from Mayo Clinic website: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037