World Heart Day – Special: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death in the world. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of all deaths in Pakistan are due to CVD. At least 12 Pakistani lose their lives every hour due to a heart attack.
It’s a terrible burden on our society. A country like Pakistan where people are developing heart diseases due to sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, consumption of junk food, tobacco use, and obesity.
It’s a staggering number when one considers that 80% of these premature deaths can be prevented by eating better, moving more and avoiding smoking.
World Heart Day 2017:
World Heart Day taking place on 29th September is part of an international campaign by the World Heart Federation (WHF) to spread awareness about heart disease and stroke prevention.
It only takes some courage, a bit of struggle to switch direction and begin on a path toward a healthy heart. Just a few simple steps towards healthy living can drastically improve your heart health and your overall well-being.
Are you ready to make heart smart choices? This World Heart Day listen to your heart and follow these tips on how to get wholeheartedly healthy!
1. Know your heart
The best thing you can do to find out about the risk of heart disease is to book a visit to a doctor or healthcare professional. You should know your numbers; have your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked regularly. High blood pressure also know as the “Silent Killer” is the number one contributor to strokes and all heart diseases.
Peekaboo Guru has compiled the list of all the Cardiologist and Labs near you in the Health section.
2. Fuel your heart
Adopt a healthier diet that is lower in fat, salt and sugar. Processed food which is high in fat, sugar and salt should be avoided in all cases. Prepare a diet plan and include five portions of fruits and vegetables in your daily food in-take. Soft drinks can break your heart. Replace it with Fresh juices and green tea.
Control your portion size. How much you eat is equally as important as what’s on your plate. Take control of the amount of food that ends up on your plate. Overloading and eating until you feel stuffed can lead to weight increase.
And just because you’re on a diet or health kick doesn’t mean that you can’t dine out in style. Peekaboo Guru has listed all the healthy restaurants in Karachi here.
3. Love your heart
Smoking is injurious to your heart, period. It damagesthe lining of your arteries , leading to a build up of fatty material which narrows the artery and causes clogging. Inhaling cigarette smoke produces several effects that damage the cerebrovascular system.
Quitting smoking is the single best thing anyone can do to improve their heart health. Once you have stopped smoking it just takes weeks to improve your blood circulation making all physical activities easier.
Exposure to passive smoking also contributes to the risk of heart disease, so by quitting you’ll not be also helping yourself but also your loved ones. If you’re struggling to kick the habit don’t suffer in silence, seek out the support of those around you and help from a medical professional.
4. Move your heart
Sometimes, its not what you do, but what you don’t do, thats bad for your heart. Doing nothing, physically, increases your risk of a heart attack. A healthy diet alone will not help you to stay fit and keep your heart healthy; you need to also indulge in physical activities.
Increase your cardiovascular fitness with running, cycling, circuit training, or high intensity interval training.Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness.Weight training is as important for building muscle mass as it is for building a strong heart. After all, your heart is a muscle!
Check here all the Fitness Training centres and Gyms on Peekaboo Guru Self Care section.
3 Comments. Leave new
Thanks for the article. This menace is slowly taking over the country and we need to be reminded time and again on every front to prevent heart disease.
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Great job keep it up