World Heart Day: Let us not hurt our hearts

Lucknow: World Heart Day, organised by World Heart Federation very year to make people aware about cardiovascular diseases.

The day is celebrated throughout the world to keep people up to date about the heart diseases. According to the World Heart Federation, heart disease, strokes are the major cause of deaths, killing approx. 17 million people every year.

The awareness programmes are organised in many countries on 'World Heart Day' which includes Health checks, sports events including walks, runs, fitness sessions, stage shows, concerts and exhibitions.

Here we bring you some major risk factors which lead to heart diseases:

• Raised Blood Pressure
• Smoking
• Inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables
• Unhealthy Diet
• Physical inactivity in Children
• Obesity

So, lets pledge to keep our heart healthy:

Eat Healthy Fats

We need fats in our daily life including saturated, unsaturated and polyunsaturated. The fat we need to exclude is trans fat as it increases the risk of developing heart diseases and stroke.

By cutting trans fat from your diet, you will improve the blood flow throughout your body.

Trans Fat- They are industry-produced fats often used in packaged baked goods, snack foods, margarines and fried fast foods to add flavor and texture.

Keep Good Dental Hygiene

Dental Health is a good indication of overall health, including your heart, because those who have periodontal (gum) disease often have the same risk factors of heart disease.

Try Getting Enough Sleep

To have a healthy heart one must need to have full sleep. If you do not sleep enough, you must be at a higher risk of having cardiovascular diseases. one must need to sleep six to eight hours regularly.

Do Not Sit for Too Long At One Time

According to a research, staying seated for too long leads to your bad health no matter how much exercise you do. Sitting for long time increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot).

So, try walking and if you have a office job then try to take rest and walk for few minutes at regular intervals of time.

Quit Smoking

One of the best major you can take to lessen heart disease is to stop smoking. It is the one of the top risk factors for heart disease.

So, take a pledge to quit smoking. It can make a huge difference not only for your heart but for your entire health.

Groove

Dancing is said to be a healthy workout as it maintains a great health. Other forms like aerobics, zumba, cardio raise your heart rate and get your lungs pump. It also burns up to 250 calories per hour.

Eat Chocolate

Eating dark chocolates help reducing inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease. So, eat dark chocolates, as it not only tastes delicious but can actually be good for you.

Never Skip Breakfast

it is the very first meal of your day so try to keep it healthy as it plays a major role to keep you healthy and maintain your weight.

Try having oat-meals, whole-grain cereals or whole wheat toast, fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products like low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese.