Wednesday, August 3, 2011

7 Guidelines to a Healthy Heart

 Author: PonchoBoojo | Posted in Business


My purpose is to inspire and educate generations. In the process of educating others I normally research and find things that can help people live longer and better lives. I am certain that with enough inspiration people will move out of stress anxiety and depression which contributes to long lives. When they are educated about an area in a motivational context, the uptake of that subject will be a lot higher than with rules and regulations. In this article I explorer matters of the heart in its physical context not emotional arena. The longer your keep your heart, the longer you live to be inspired and motivated. When you become careless about your heart, you develop heart diseases and soon enough you take part in exiting this world. Heart disease accounts for a number of premature deaths the world over. Some die young because of ignorance while others are merely stubborn enough to think that not all advice should be taken up. I have taken an active interest in health matters because they are actually more important than wealth creation.
1. Watch your salt intake – One of the great fights that happen in my home is concerning salt. It has taken us a while to come to terms with this food component’s side effects. We had focussed so much on eliminating excessive sugar as we considered that more hazardous that salt. Salt actually causes high blood pressure. Recommendations are that one should not take more than 2 grams of sodium a day. By the way salt contains sodium or soda.
2. Watch that weight – You have to shed extra kilos by cutting down on calories. Many people have the thinking that weight gain is a sign of prosperity. To a certain extent yes, but how important is that compared to increasing your risk of heart failure. One question that comes would then be; what is the recommended weight. Body mass index is measure by dividing your weight (kg) by your height squared. Your body mass index should be between 18.5 and 25. Below 18.5 someone would be underweight. Over 25 you are considered overweight. The BMI however does not measure how much fat is in the body.
3. Watch you diet – One of the most daunting tasks is to find out the exact nature and types of foods that one must eat. In this century one has to watch and avoid genetically modified foods (GMO) and focus on natural food stuffs. I used to wonder how generations before me lived to hundreds until I realized that modernisation has created fast foods and tinned foods which have a lesser dietary benefit to the body yet tasty for tongue. Eat extra fruit, vegetables and low fat dairy. Eat food high in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Foods such as bananas, raisins, potatoes and so on.
4. Exercise – Workouts are not for body builders only. One has to workout for at least 30 minutes daily to keep the body revived and keep the heart pumping well. Join a local gym. I have resolved to exercise daily. Sometimes I deliberately take walks even when the car is working well. Modern world has added convenience where one can reach places while sitting down, go up building with many storeys while standing in one place (escalator or elevator). Such comfort has consequences where the body merely accumulates food and that food is converted to fat. Fat is what gives you heart disease.
5. Quit Smoking – smoking has negative effects on blood pressure. It is so addictive that when one starts it is hard to get out of it no matter how much teaching one gets to receive. My advice is that don’t even think of starting if you haven’t started. Work towards quitting if you are caught up in it. I am glad I have never had to think of quitting smoking because I never attempted it in the first place.
6. Quit Alcohol – Alcohol is harmful to the heart. What is even worse is that while under the control of intoxicating substances, your judgment is impaired hence you dietary needs and all the things you are supposed to watch for are ignored. I drank alcohol before. I know how this affected my health adversely. I am thankful that I have managed to overcome this addiction.
7. Use relaxation methods – Anxiety and stress have a negative effect on the heart. As far as possible you need to work towards ensuring that you are not stressed and depressed. Use relaxation methods such as prayer and meditation. Join support groups or special interest groups and counseling session.

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