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Many of us care so much about our health, though more often than not, we tend to focus more on the superficial – and maybe ephemeral – side of it: our face, skin, hair, and nails. But how many of us do actually care for our own heart? Can we say that we have a healthy heart?
On a global scale, around 17 million people die of heart-related diseases each year [1], that is why many health groups and organisations advocate awareness of cardiovascular diseases and its control and prevention. World Heart Day is one of the major health-related events observed on 29 September and dedicated to increasing people’s awareness of the importance of heart health.
Despite this, many still seem oblivious to the seriousness of the matter and the impact it has on various aspects of our lives. If you think a heart disease will only affect the individual with it, think again. Around the world, an estimated 17.9 million people die every year from
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD). [2] Not only that, the people they leave behind can also be affected as some studies found that people who lose a loved one to heart-related illnesses are 21 times more likely to suffer a heart attack themselves. [3]
That is why it is important for us to take care of our hearts—not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones.
Take Heart Health to Heart
It’s no secret that the downsides of an unhealthy heart are endless. However, in this blog, we will focus on what we can do as individuals to make sure that we are in a place in our wellness journey that our heart will thank us for.
Since our heart works around the clock, it needs all the care it can get. Our regular diet and health habits definitely affect our heart. Eating healthy food coupled with regular physical exercise or activity greatly helps in keeping our heart in tip-top shape. But we can further optimise this by taking regular food supplements that promote a healthy heart.
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Show your Heart a Little Love
Maintaining a healthy diet is the priority when it comes to keeping our heart healthy and happy. But often, it is still possible to miss vital vitamins and nutrients that can help enrich our heart health. This is where supplements come in. In this blog, we will focus on food supplements that can help us show our heart a little love to commemorate World Heart Day.
Furthermore, we will also provide five steps that will truly help you have a disease-free heart!
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- Eat Healthy
A high-fibre diet containing fruits, vegetables, and non-fatty foods has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of developing heart-related illnesses. [4] This diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight due to the fibre making you feel fuller for longer. [5]
Aside from a high-fibre diet, you can also improve your diet with some food supplements that improve your heart health. You can include NOW Foods Certified Organic Fiber-3 in your next meal by mixing 2 ½ tablespoons of the powder with at least 12 ounces of water, juice, or any drink of your choice. NOW Foods also has a Psyllium Husk powder that can help you bulk up on fibre should your fibre resources be limited.
- Exercise Daily
If you haven’t started exercising yet due to schedule constraints or lack of exercise knowledge, it’s actually pretty easy to remedy that. Simple yet enjoyable outdoor exercises include brisk-walking, bicycling, and even swimming. Say you’re more of an indoor type? Fear not for you can also do some stretching, home yoga, and some home walking to regulate your body’s need for
daily exercise. You might find these exercises boring at first, but trust us when we say every little additional movement will have you – and your heart – thanking us in the long run!
Such activities reduce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol [6] that may put extra stress on the heart. Likewise, a regular intake of NOW Foods Ashwagandha supplements may help reduce stress in our day-to-day lives.
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- Avoid smoking
Even if you don’t smoke, inhaling secondhand smoke affects the normal functioning of the heart, and increases the risk of a heart attack. [7] This is because exposure to secondhand smoke can potentially damage the lining of blood vessels and cause blood platelets to become thicker. [8]
NOW Foods Magnesium Caps and NOW Foods Cal-Mag supplements can both support normal neural, muscular, and blood vessel functions.
- Visit your Doctor
A regular visit to your doctor to keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides in check is also important for good heart health. There are certain optimal levels
depending on your age and gender so it is paramount that you pay your doctor a visit for a regular checkup.
Support those regular doctor appointments with supplements that are also good for the heart. NOW Foods Hawthorn Extract supplements promote cardiovascular health by supporting cardiac muscle tone and vascular integrity. It also helps support normal blood flow and in maintaining blood pressure already within the healthy range.
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- Get enough sleep
We probably might enjoy a healthy diet, be able to exercise regularly, be a non-smoker, and visit our doctor quite often, but not getting the right amount of sleep can take a toll on our heart health as well.
To enjoy a good night’s sleep, take NOW Foods L-Tryptophan. It promotes better sleep by promoting healthy levels of serotonin and melatonin – chemicals that are naturally produced by the body which can promote a positive mood and a better regulation of the sleep cycle.
It’s now or never
We’ve heard this a lot of times: an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Nothing beats being proactive when it comes to health, specifically when it comes to our heart. In this year’s celebration of World Heart Day, perhaps we should consider a change of perspective, or even a shift in priorities when it comes to the holistic wellness of our heart. After all, it’s the heart that really matters. A healthy heart begets a healthy life.
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References:
[1] https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1
[2] https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1
[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heart-attack-21-times-more-likely-after-death-of-loved-one/
[4] https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/heart-disease-and-food
[5] https://www.verywellfit.com/high-fiber-foods-for-weight-loss-1087917
[6] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax
[8]https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htm