Summer is almost here … one of the most active outdoor times of the year – swimming, hiking, and sports – just to name a few. It’s also a great time to rededicate your focus on maintaining a healthy heart. A healthy heart is one of the most important things that we, as women, can do to ensure a long and happy life. There are many factors that affect your chance of developing heart issues, including poor diet, obesity, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol use, high blood pressure, and smoking. Unfortunately, many symptoms of heart problems don’t become apparent until much later. That is why it is important to take care of your heart now. It is not too late!
Here are some great ways of keeping your heart happy and healthy:
Consume Healthy Foods
Be sure you are filling your diet with foods that nourish your body. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are good options for your diet. It is also good to stay away from products with added sugar and saturated fats. And to improve your heart health specifically, there are even certain foods that promote heart health, including fish, walnuts, berries, sprouted garlic, olive oil, apples, and beans.
Get Your Regular Exercise
Regular exercise is extremely important for your health. Studies have shown that adults need about two and a half hours of exercise per week, but more doesn’t hurt! It can be as simple as riding your bike for 30 minutes a day, or taking your dog out for a 30 minute power walk.
Quit Smoking
Stopping smoking now can significantly reduce your risk of developing heart problems. If you’re a smoker, you know that quitting is a lot harder than it sounds, but there are resources that you can turn to, to help guide you through the difficult process.
Manage Your Current Medical Conditions, and Know Your Family History
Be sure you know what your family history is. If your family has a history of heart issues, you are more likely to also develop those issues; making it even more important for you to be sure you are taking care of your heart. In addition, if you have any current heart related problems, be certain you are managing them so as to not further the damage.
Even the healthiest of people can develop heart issues, especially if it runs in your family. So, it is important to understand symptoms of heart related diseases. Some of the most common results of an unhealthy heart are heart attack, arrhythmia, heart failure, and stroke. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, upper back pain, indigestion, nausea, extreme fatigue, and shortness of breath. Arrhythmia can cause fluttering feelings in the chest. If your heart is failing, you should experience shortness of breath and swelling of your feet, ankles, legs and abdomen. Lastly, if you are having a stroke, you should expect to experience sudden weakness, numbness, particularly on one side of the body, possible confusion, loss of consciousness, or a sudden severe headache. Immediately contact emergency services if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Maintaining a healthy heart goes hand in hand with maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general. ORGANO™ offers a number of Body Management products to help keep you healthy and in shape! Specifically, ORGANO™ Grapeseed Oil Supplement is a source of linoleic acid which provides many benefits. Hailed for millennia for its enriching properties, grape seed oil is naturally rich in a number of phytochemicals and essential fatty acids.
Happy Women’s Health Month, and make sure you’re keeping your heart healthy and happy!
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