Maintaining a Healthy Heart
Bardnurz Sham asked:
The human heart is about the size of a clenched fist. It is located under the breastbone between the lungs (just left of centre) and is made up of four chambers. Blood flows through these chambers in a pattern that supplies all parts of the body with oxygenated blood and returns blood to the lungs for re-oxygenation.
There are two types of blood vessels, arteries and veins. Arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart and are elastic, which enables them to withstand the pressure of blood being pumped with force.
Veins carry back to the heart. By the time blood reaches the veins, blood pressure has dropped. Veins are not elastic, but have small valves that keep the de-oxygenated blood from flowing backwards.
When kept healthy and strong, the body’s network of veins and arteries should work as efficiently in an older body as a younger one.
Take care of your heart.
The body’s ingenious design means skin, muscle and a sturdy ribcage protects the heart from injury. The real risk to the health of our heart comes not from injury, but from failing to take proper care of this vital organ.
Happily, maintaining a healthy heart is relatively simple, and it’s never too late to start. Do you smoke? If you do, the first step is to quit. Even occasional smoking has been proven to be detrimental to the health of your heart. Regular exercise is essential to help maintain weight and keep the heart strong. It is also important to limit fats in the diet particularly animal fats derived from meat and full fat dairy foods.
Enjoying health to a ripe old age is common in many Mediterranean communities where diet is based on olive oil, vegetables, fish, nuts, fruits, grains and pulses. Many doctors and naturopaths believe that it’s the low levels of cholesterol that make the Mediterranean diet an excellent model for those wishing to maintain their cardiovascular health.
Include in your diet:
- Seasonal fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens, broccoli, zucchini, onions, red and white cabbage, cucumber, potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.
- Fresh fruit, rich in antioxidants.
- Fish, particularly oily varieties such as sardines, mackerel and salmon.
- Fresh herbs, especially parsley, mint, basil, thyme, coriander, oregano and dill.
- Whole grains cereals, brown rice, oats, wholemeal bread and pasta, millet, buckwheat and barley.
- Lean meat, chicken and eggs.
- Nuts and seeds, small amounts of almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
- Sea vegetables, nori, arame and wakame.
Soy foods and tofu.
Keep to a minimum:
- Full fat dairy foods.
- Refined white flour products, white bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes.
- Salt.
- Saturated fats, butter, matured cheeses, fatty meats and fried foods.
Exercise:
Exercise is extremely important for the maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system. In addition to keeping the heart itself strong, exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, which reduce pressure on the heart. You don’t need to become gym junkie. A brisk 30 minute walk at least three times a week can make a huge difference to your health.
Supplement with CoQ10:
CoQ10 occurs naturally in the body and levels decline with age. A CoQ10 supplement assists in maintaining a healthy heart, in particularly the function of the heart muscle. CoQ10 has been shown to reduce oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
Caffeinated Content
The human heart is about the size of a clenched fist. It is located under the breastbone between the lungs (just left of centre) and is made up of four chambers. Blood flows through these chambers in a pattern that supplies all parts of the body with oxygenated blood and returns blood to the lungs for re-oxygenation.
There are two types of blood vessels, arteries and veins. Arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart and are elastic, which enables them to withstand the pressure of blood being pumped with force.
Veins carry back to the heart. By the time blood reaches the veins, blood pressure has dropped. Veins are not elastic, but have small valves that keep the de-oxygenated blood from flowing backwards.
When kept healthy and strong, the body’s network of veins and arteries should work as efficiently in an older body as a younger one.
Take care of your heart.
The body’s ingenious design means skin, muscle and a sturdy ribcage protects the heart from injury. The real risk to the health of our heart comes not from injury, but from failing to take proper care of this vital organ.
Happily, maintaining a healthy heart is relatively simple, and it’s never too late to start. Do you smoke? If you do, the first step is to quit. Even occasional smoking has been proven to be detrimental to the health of your heart. Regular exercise is essential to help maintain weight and keep the heart strong. It is also important to limit fats in the diet particularly animal fats derived from meat and full fat dairy foods.
Enjoying health to a ripe old age is common in many Mediterranean communities where diet is based on olive oil, vegetables, fish, nuts, fruits, grains and pulses. Many doctors and naturopaths believe that it’s the low levels of cholesterol that make the Mediterranean diet an excellent model for those wishing to maintain their cardiovascular health.
Include in your diet:
- Seasonal fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens, broccoli, zucchini, onions, red and white cabbage, cucumber, potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.
- Fresh fruit, rich in antioxidants.
- Fish, particularly oily varieties such as sardines, mackerel and salmon.
- Fresh herbs, especially parsley, mint, basil, thyme, coriander, oregano and dill.
- Whole grains cereals, brown rice, oats, wholemeal bread and pasta, millet, buckwheat and barley.
- Lean meat, chicken and eggs.
- Nuts and seeds, small amounts of almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
- Sea vegetables, nori, arame and wakame.
Soy foods and tofu.
Keep to a minimum:
- Full fat dairy foods.
- Refined white flour products, white bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes.
- Salt.
- Saturated fats, butter, matured cheeses, fatty meats and fried foods.
Exercise:
Exercise is extremely important for the maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system. In addition to keeping the heart itself strong, exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, which reduce pressure on the heart. You don’t need to become gym junkie. A brisk 30 minute walk at least three times a week can make a huge difference to your health.
Supplement with CoQ10:
CoQ10 occurs naturally in the body and levels decline with age. A CoQ10 supplement assists in maintaining a healthy heart, in particularly the function of the heart muscle. CoQ10 has been shown to reduce oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
Caffeinated Content
Exercises For Your Heart – Easy Ways To A Healthy Heart
Abhishek Agarwal asked:
Learn the importance of quick exercises for your heart and incorporate these slowly into your daily routine so your most vital organ does not give up on you as easily as the stress of modern living can well cause it to! It is for a reason that the scientists and medical experts refer to our human heart as the most important organ in the body because it is the center of our life-giving force; without it, we’d have no life, no existence, and no aspirations to humanity. This is why it is important to understand the basics of heart-care whether there is a history of cardiac problems in the family or not, for it is heart health that determines our quality of life, duration of life and activities we can pursue.
There are various kinds of exercises that people indulge in for fun, for sport, for staying in shape, for social reasons and even for earning fame. But, did you know that in order to keep ourselves healthy, it is important to keep our heart healthy and that this little ticker of ours actually has specific exercises dedicated solely to its cause that benefit its muscles and strengthen these for times to come?
If not, here’s our heart health special with outlines of some of the best exercises you can incorporate in a matter of few minutes to have a healthy heart and happy, long life: take a look!
Keeping the heart strong and healthy is vital for general wellbeing of any human; it is never too early to start an exercise regime for your heart, but you do need to consult with your family physician if you are fit enough to begin on any of these quick heart health exercises we list here. It is a precautionary step every smart individual needs to take before beginning an exercise routine. If there are certain motions or types of exercises you should not do, if there are complications from previous injury or medical issues of another kind, your doctor can advise you about the framework within which you can exercise your heart to stay in shape – so get the nod from him or her, before you start your work-outs.
• Walking is undoubtedly one of the best, quick exercises you can take up in order to strengthen and maintain your heart muscles; begin with a leisurely walk and build up to a brisk pace that you maintain for at least 20 minutes before you slow down to cool off. This works to get the blood pumping effectively and gives you a great work-out!
• Take to step-aerobics, stair-climbing or even walking up and down stairs to get a fit, toned and energetic body while working the heart muscles also.
• If you live near a clean water body or have gym memberships/local health club membership, do think about swimming a few laps everyday as it gives you a great cardiac work-out. But, remember never to exercise after a meal and always swim when lifeguards are around.
Caffeinated Content
Learn the importance of quick exercises for your heart and incorporate these slowly into your daily routine so your most vital organ does not give up on you as easily as the stress of modern living can well cause it to! It is for a reason that the scientists and medical experts refer to our human heart as the most important organ in the body because it is the center of our life-giving force; without it, we’d have no life, no existence, and no aspirations to humanity. This is why it is important to understand the basics of heart-care whether there is a history of cardiac problems in the family or not, for it is heart health that determines our quality of life, duration of life and activities we can pursue.
There are various kinds of exercises that people indulge in for fun, for sport, for staying in shape, for social reasons and even for earning fame. But, did you know that in order to keep ourselves healthy, it is important to keep our heart healthy and that this little ticker of ours actually has specific exercises dedicated solely to its cause that benefit its muscles and strengthen these for times to come?
If not, here’s our heart health special with outlines of some of the best exercises you can incorporate in a matter of few minutes to have a healthy heart and happy, long life: take a look!
Keeping the heart strong and healthy is vital for general wellbeing of any human; it is never too early to start an exercise regime for your heart, but you do need to consult with your family physician if you are fit enough to begin on any of these quick heart health exercises we list here. It is a precautionary step every smart individual needs to take before beginning an exercise routine. If there are certain motions or types of exercises you should not do, if there are complications from previous injury or medical issues of another kind, your doctor can advise you about the framework within which you can exercise your heart to stay in shape – so get the nod from him or her, before you start your work-outs.
• Walking is undoubtedly one of the best, quick exercises you can take up in order to strengthen and maintain your heart muscles; begin with a leisurely walk and build up to a brisk pace that you maintain for at least 20 minutes before you slow down to cool off. This works to get the blood pumping effectively and gives you a great work-out!
• Take to step-aerobics, stair-climbing or even walking up and down stairs to get a fit, toned and energetic body while working the heart muscles also.
• If you live near a clean water body or have gym memberships/local health club membership, do think about swimming a few laps everyday as it gives you a great cardiac work-out. But, remember never to exercise after a meal and always swim when lifeguards are around.
Caffeinated Content