Top 10 Tips to Keep your Heart Healthy

A few Vedic Mantras give a message that everyone should aspire to live a healthy life up to one hundred years.

One such mantra is-

तच्चक्षुर्देवहितं पुरस्ताच्छुक्रमुच्चरत्। 

पश्येम शरदः शतं जीवेम शरदः शतं श्रुणुयाम शरदः शतं प्रब्रवाम शरदः शतमदीनाः स्याम शरदः शतं भूयश्च शरदः शतात्॥

In this verse, the key message is that every human being should live a divine life, a life like Gods and Goddesses. It says, a fulfilling and healthy life of one hundred years should be the aim of every human being and so everyone should start his or her mornings by watching the rising sun from the east.

So, you must give importance to the habit of early rising and keeping  good health with the help of a healthy diet, healthy lifestyle, exercise, Yoga and meditation. All these have a direct or indirect impact on your cardiac health.

Also know that you cannot imagine good health if you don’t have a healthy heart. Therefore, take concrete steps for that. You can lower your risk of developing heart disease by bringing small changes to your lifestyle and doing certain things that are simple, easy to follow and even pleasurable.

1. Add more Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs to Your Diet

A vegetarian diet suits the internal system of human beings. Mother Nature has created it that way. The more vegetables and herbs you eat, the better your cardiac health would become. Even medical researches prove that those who eat plant-based diets are less likely to develop heart ailments.

Fruits and vegetables provide nutrients that are good for the heart including antioxidants, fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, B, and C. So, give a vegetarian nutritious diet to your body and good health to your heart.

2. This is a Wonder Drug

Exercise works like a magic pill that reduces the risk of heart disease. Also know that, exercise is the ‘wonder drug’ that produces benefits no matter in which amount you are taking the dose. Try to never skip your daily cardiac and stretching exercise.

Along with exercise, you can run, swim, brisk walk, ride a bicycle, play outdoor games, and also take interest in household chores.

And if you are eager to undertake intense workouts then, do it under the skilled guidance of an instructor.

3. Get up and Take a Walk

Sedentary lifestyle and prolonged sitting is unhealthy. They have been linked to heart disease and diabetes. If you have a sitting job, make sure to get up and move at frequent intervals.

Even breaks as short as two minutes are beneficial. So just stand up, move around in your office space or climb stairs to keep your heart healthy.

4. Reduce your Salt Intake

Try not to have a diet high in salt. Cut down by avoiding any extra salt in your food and also reducing how much you use in cooking.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), salt intake of less than 5 grams/day for adults helps to minimize BP and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack.

5. Reduce your Sugar Intake as well

That’s right, too much sugar in your diet may be even worse for your blood pressure than salt. It could lead to weight gain, which can raise your BP and lead to heart disease. So, manage your sugar intake as well.

6. Manage your Stress Level

Stress increases your risk of heart disease because it constantly keeps the body in a fighting mode triggering high BP, heart burns and other unhealthy conditions.

You need a powerful antidote to deal with it. Meditation, Deep Breathing Techniques and Yoga work like that antidote. A regular practice improves blood circulation and keeps BP under check.

7. Give Value to your Relationships

The power of a loving family relationship is an incredible thing. It gives you a strong reason to keep a healthy lifestyle making you healthier and happier.

Try to avoid family discords at all cost and also keep negative emotions like fear, anger, dissatisfaction, insecurity, jealousy, etc. away from you. A cordial atmosphere at home leads to healthy heart of all the family members naturally.

8. Stay Away from Bad Habits

This is of utmost importance if you want to keep your heart healthy. Unhealthy addictions are one of the key causes of fatal heart diseases.  They can affect your heart by causing high BP and abnormal heartbeats.

At times, it may seem difficult to control such habits, but with a strong willpower and ‘affirmation practice’, anybody can stop any bad habit.

So, make plans, seek expert’s support and medical care, but pull out all the stops to recover from any type of unhealthy addiction.

9. Take the Right Amount of Sleep Every Night

Poor sleep has been linked to high BP and can even lead to heart ailments. It can also make you less likely to want to exercise, Yoga and Meditation—and that’s certainly not healthy for your heart.

Understand that sleep time is a good time for your heart to recharge and refresh. When you are in deep sleep, your heart rate gets relaxed, your body achieves hormonal balance and you’re in a calm state.

Altogether, a seven to eight hours of sleep is super healthy for your heart and your overall wellbeing. Stick to that religiously.

10. Stay Happy

Perhaps the most important factor behind a healthy heart!

Staying happy ads to a healthy heart in a big way. Do such deeds that can help in making you feel happy and do not forget to laugh out loud often in your daily life. By staying happy, you are actually lowering stress hormones in your body and boosting the release of happy hormones.

So, pack your daily life with positive emotions and get a healthy heart for a long time.

So the message is, not in any case, let critical heart diseases be a part of your life. Make a habit of rising early in the morning, do Yoga, exercise, and meditation and take a healthy plant-based diet. Once you make it a habit, your heart will remain healthy and happy forever, enabling you to lead a long and divine life.