World Heart Day 2022: A Guide to a Healthy Heart

September 29, 2022

Last Updated Date: September 29, 2022

Flaxseeds with Milk Benefits for Heart Health — Photo Credit: Narayanahealth.org

Despite the COVID pandemic being finished, the diseases still exist in this post-pandemic period. Some of us no longer desire to engage in physical activities or lead an active lifestyle because of the dull and stressful state we’ve been in for the past two years since we’ve been cooped up in our homes. However, some people have started to overdo it by going to the gym and downing protein shakes! What’s missing is the balance- equal parts regular exercise with healthy dietary choices.

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On this World Heart Day, Dr. Prashant Pawar, a senior consultant interventional cardiologist at Fortis Hospital in Navi Mumbai, and I talk about the reasons why heart health is declining. He is a specialist in preventative cardiology, interventional cardiology, and heart failure. He talks about unhealthy eating habits, a sedentary lifestyle, stress levels, addictions and more. He shows us how to maintain a healthy and happy heart by speaking from and for the heart.

Early onset

Due to the recent deaths of celebrities like Raju Srivastava and Siddharth Shukla, talks regarding heart-related disorders have entered the mainstream media. A heart attack or other cardiac problem used to only happen after age 50, but these accidents are now happening ten years earlier, especially in the cases of these celebrities who were generally in good condition.

Inactive lifestyle

Poor eating practices, such as consuming a lot of junk food, staying sedentary for 8 to 10 hours a day, working from home, and binge eating, raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of obesity. The most common factor in the formation of this lifestyle is stress, as the majority of us continue to face high levels of stress at home or at the office, which trigger the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

Compared to statistics from the previous 10 or so years, the incidence rate of hypertension and cholesterol was extraordinarily high during the COVID period. Additionally, mental health was important in the development of a sedentary lifestyle since losing one, or in some cases more, family members was associated with depressive symptoms and increased stress.

Stop smoking

Smoking cigarettes is a common lifestyle choice in our society today. Now, this could be a result of stress at work or home because males as young as 22 years are getting heart attacks and the main reason for such illnesses is smoking. Smoking kills, if not immediately, then over time. Alcohol contributes just as much to these rising cardiovascular problems.

Rigorous exercises

People have suddenly changed to a healthy lifestyle with rigorous workout sessions and no fiber foods after not engaging in much physical activity for two long years. The heart is no longer sensitive to such abrupt alterations that could cause a cardiac attack. It’s concerning when untrained individuals attempt to indoctrinate children into long, arduous runs on TMTs.

Because smoking causes a lot of thrombosis, which is the clotting of blood in various parts of the circulatory system, and coronary artery blockages, which result in higher cholesterol levels, the young people who are lured to these demanding workouts end up with early cardiac difficulties.

Dietary practices

Eat fresh fruits and avoid fried foods, consume more green leafy vegetables and home-cooked meals strong in protein and minimize your fat and carbohydrate intake. The high sodium/salt content of processed foods is a major warning sign for the health of your heart. It is impractical to adapt western diets to Indian households, so instead of eating quinoa, you should be aware of what is prepared at home. Consuming processed foods, even baked goods, is not a healthy choice because they contain trans fat and palm oil, which raise cholesterol levels in the depositories. Avoid eating red meat; instead, eat chicken, fish, and eggs.

Message on World Heart Day

People should break out of this boredom, but not by pushing their bodies and hearts too hard. Instead, they should always have regular heart checks because knowing your heart is crucial for making any lifestyle changes. Why not undertake a thorough examination of your body the same way you would before purchasing a home? We can learn a lot from routine tests about how our bodies are developing and how our heart rates, cholesterol levels, and impacts of hypertension are affecting us. Exercise is vital but does not overexert instead keep a 20-30 minute workout regimen which could be easy walking, cycling or swimming. Simply choose better options.