February being the month of love, we often focus on the health of our hearts. And this year we think we need to pamper and care for ourselves more than ever.
The last year has been difficult for a lot of us with the lockdowns, school closures leaving lots of us juggling our work, home schooling and childcare, as well as missing our families and friends. Many of us have been under more stress and had fewer outlets available to us then we are used to, which is why we should step back and think about our hearts and our health a bit more.
You are what you eat
Eating healthy is an important factor in keeping your heart healthy. Did you take lockdown as an opportunity to cut down on convenience food and start cooking more? Or were you like many of us that bought treats and takeaways to make up for the lack of other treats and rewards?
Eating a balanced diet and reducing the amount of fats and sugars in your diet and lowering your cholesterol is a good way of managing your heart health and maintaining a good blood pressure level. You should also drink alcohol in moderation. The BHF has lots of advice and guidance on this.
Get active
One of the key things to maintain a healthy heart is to be physically fit and keep active which will also help you to stay at a healthy weight along with eating a good diet. As gyms and exercises classes have closed, many have taken their classes online so that we can all bring the gym to our homes. There are many live classes to join in with or exercise videos available on streaming services or YouTube, like the popular Joe Wicks.
But if classes aren’t for you why not try challenging yourself to walk further, run, cycle or dance. Whatever activity you choose, 30 minutes exercise per day can help you maintain your heart health, manage your weight, sleep better and reduce your stress levels as well as give you more energy.
Eliminate bad things
Other factors that can impact your heart health include smoking and stress. If you smoke, maybe now is a good time to try and quit whilst there are fewer social pressures and social situations to make you want to smoke. The NHS has lots of tips and advice to help you.
During the last year, stress may have been difficult to avoid but we can all try to make time to relax and have some time to unwind, such as reading a book, watching a film or boxset, going for a walk, run or cycle. It is important to give yourself this time away from the pressure of your life and wind down.
Recognising heart issues
If you want help in Recognising Heart Issues in yourself or others, read our Affairs of the heart: recognising heart issues blog from last year. We also offer a variety of first aid courses that can help you to recognise and support those with heart attacks.
The post Taking care of your heart appeared first on Mett Training.
