You know that keeping fit is good for overall health but being physically active is especially beneficial for your heart. This is because regular exercise helps to moderate common risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being overweight.

Even if you don’t have a gym membership, there are countless ways to keep active. Any physical activity is beneficial so if you generally live a sedentary lifestyle, get off your couch and office chair more often and go for a walk or a run. Or simply take the stairs instead of the lift whenever possible.

If you’re the type who needs to exercise in a group, join a workout class or gather some friends to do an online workout together. Whichever form of exercise you choose, pick one that you enjoy so that you’re likely to stick to it for a long time.

This is a no-brainer but people are often confused as to what ‘eat healthy’ actually means. The general rule is to get lots of fruits and vegetables into your diet, eat whole grains instead of refined grains, snack on healthy foods like berries, nuts and seeds, and eat heart-healthy foods such as avocados and fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.

One simple rule to follow, as recommended by the Health Promotion Board, is the Quarter, Quarter, Half – fill a quarter plate with whole grains, a quarter with protein, and half with fruits and vegetables.

It’s not just what you eat; how much you eat is important too. Don’t overload your plate or go for seconds. Use smaller plates and bowls to control your portions. In maintaining a healthy weight (and heart), it’s essential to avoid overeating.

A good guideline is to eat till you’re 70% full. If you’re burping after your meal, you’ve probably eaten too much and/or too fast. When you eat too much or too fast, you swallow extra air too. And this air doesn’t go to your stomach but, instead, stays in your esophagus until you burp it out.

Exercise and the right diet will help your blood pressure but there are other things you can do to ensure this important measurement is kept at an optimal level for your heart. Your chances of having high blood pressure increase as you get older, so start now.

Excessive intake of salt is a culprit when it comes to high blood pressure, so reduce the amount of salt you eat. Look at food labels when shopping for groceries and pick ‘low salt’ or ‘no salt added’ variations whenever possible. Cut out or at least minimise your intake of processed foods as they’re high in salt. This includes smoked or canned meat, ham, bacon, sausages, canned soup, salad dressing and processed cheese. Another tip is to avoid adding salt to anything you cook at home. Instead, use herbs and spices to flavour your food.

Dancing is an extremely healthy way to work out and get your heart pumping. Depending on the type of dance, you could burn more than 200 calories in just 30 minutes. Dancing also helps you lose weight, which is beneficial for heart health. Plus, it’s oh-so-fun so why wouldn’t you dance whenever the mood hits you?

Can’t go dancing with your friends? Organise a virtual dance party or simply put on some music and dance in your own home. Dancing requires you to lose your self-consciousness; once you do, it’ll lift your mood so it’s a win-win all over.

It’s not just fun to romp between the sheets with your partner, it’s also good for your heart. Sex is a form of physical activity, so you’ll reap those usual benefits. Having intercourse is good for your blood pressure too. Also, having a healthy sexual relationship leads to positive emotions, lower stress levels and better sleep – which are all beneficial for heart health.

The aim here is to lower your stress levels so that your heart is looked after. So, instead of engaging in stressful habits like scrolling through social media (FOMO, anyone?) or binge-watching true-crime documentaries, choose something that helps you relax. Learn how to knit, do a crossword or jigsaw puzzle, join a yoga class or pick up the phone and chat with a friend or family member who always makes you happy. Or simply watch funny animal videos online, we won’t judge.

Smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease so the most sensible thing to do is not smoke at all or to quit if you’ve already picked up the habit. It’s never too late to stop smoking. In fact, your body starts to repair the damage smoking has caused as soon as you quit. Within a year, your risk of cardiovascular complications will be reduced by a whopping 50%. If you’re having trouble quitting, get help from a medical professional.

It’s not just about smoking though, as passive smoking can be dangerous too. So, if your loved ones smoke, get them to break the habit. And don’t hang around places where smokers gather as breathing in second-hand smoke isn’t good for you.

Get to a healthy weight, then maintain it. The aim is to have a BMI of between 18.3 and 22.9 kg/m2, and keep your waist circumference equal or less than 80cm. Pay extra attention to your belly. Whether you’re overweight or not, belly fat has an impact on your heart health, so do all you can in terms of diet and exercise to keep your belly in shape.

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine, and this is clearly the case when it comes to heart health. Laughter doesn’t only reduce stress, it’s also good for your heart. So find ways to make yourself LOL as often as possible.

Text: Balvinder Sandhu/HerWorld

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