Dr Harinder Singh Bedi
This Valentine’s Day, besides giving (and receiving) paper hearts – why not resolve to give your heart a fighting chance ? Why not resolve to make healthy habits which you can keep for a lifetime? Some of those resolutions actually turn into lifelong changes. So here is one cardio-vascular surgeon’s wish list for your Valentine’s Day – and I promise not to tell you to lose weight !.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in India. Therefore the Valentine’s Day is a good day to start taking steps to protect your heart health. There are some risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including your age and a family history of cardiovascular disease, which you cannot control – but most other factors are modifiable . The good news: Your heart health depends mostly on your lifestyle choices.
Quit smoking
There is no room for debate here – if you smoke, you should quit. Smoking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease as well as several types of cancer. People can reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by half within one year of quitting smoking, according to the American Medical Association.
Eat heart smart:
Your dietary choices can have a major impact on your heart health. Eat a diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grain foods such as millets, oatmeal, and lean cuts of poultry and fish. Try to keep your consumption of foods that are high in sugar and fat, such as halwa , candy, ice cream, gajjak, rewari , red meat and full-fat dairy products, to a minimum. Other ways to keep healthy through your diet include:
v Substitute red meat with proteins such as fish and chicken several times every week.
v Include a combined seven servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet every day.
v Switch to whole grains instead of processed grains as much as possible.
v Limit cholesterol from egg yolks to twice a week if your cholesterol is normal, and eliminate them altogether if your cholesterol is high.
v Chocolates are OK but just for Valentine’s Day!! – actually dark chocolate in moderation is good for the heart .
Get moving:
Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise at least 5 days a week. You can increase your life span by two hours for every hour of exercise – plus the years you save will be healthy enjoyable ones . It’s one of the best ways to keep healthy. To get the most benefit for your heart out of your workout, try these tips:
v Find an aerobic activity you enjoy, such as walking, swimming, or cycling. These aerobic activities are rhythmic and repetitive, so they get your heart beating and your big muscles moving. Take your Valentine with you – it will keep both of you motivated !
v Work out at the same time every day so that it can more easily become part of your daily life.
v Exercise enough to break a sweat and increase your heart rate. But remember you don’t need to be out of breath.
Know your cholesterol numbers:
Have your cholesterol numbers checked at least once a year. If your low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol number is high, your odds of developing cardiovascular disease greatly increase. Diets rich in foods that are high in dietary fiber have been shown to have a number of beneficial effects, including decreased risk of coronary heart disease. You might also want to make some simple lifestyle changes, like eating a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Keep blood pressure under control:
To keep track of your blood pressure levels, especially if they’re high or borderline-high, consider buying a home blood pressure monitor. Then record your levels in a book. Keeping track of your blood pressure daily or weekly and checking with your doctor is a healthy habit that can help you and your doctor get your numbers under control.
Watch your weight:
OK, I lied. But I couldn’t help it, because being overweight has so many bad effects. It taxes your heart and your joints, and it increases your risk of hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. If you are overweight, your chances of developing cardiovascular disease are higher. Losing 10% of your excess weight can help lower your likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease.
What I recommend for overweight people is “Lose ½ Kg per month for the year.”. ½ Kg per month isn’t much – it just takes walking a bit more each day, or giving up one paratha per day.
Learn to relax:
Stress contributes to heart disease, especially for those people with a type-A personality. Studies have shown a strong connection between stress and heart attacks. Use tried-and-true stress-reducers such as exercise, deep breathing, and focused imagery to let out your emotions.
Each of these resolutions is great on its own, but keeping all of them can help reduce your risk for heart attack, stroke, and other cardiac problems. By next Valentine’s Day you will be fit as a fiddle and will have enjoyed reaching that state too !
(The author is Director Cardio Vascular Sciences at the Ivy Hospital, Mohali, Punjab)
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