What can you do to protect your heart from cardiovascular disease (CVD)? There are many lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk, including eating a heart-healthy diet, staying active, managing your weight, and avoiding tobacco and alcohol.
Here are 7 things you can do to keep your heart healthy during the pandemic.
1. Know key health numbers: Women must keep a regular check on their blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol values. If these levels are abnormal, then they must take appropriate measures and consult a doctor.
2. Physical activity: It is imperative to take out time for a physical workout, which is a key aspect of living a more active lifestyle. While brisk walking, swimming, and dancing are the recommended activities, it is suggested people continue with indoor yoga, meditation, and aerobics without having to step out.
3. Have a heart-healthy diet: A heart-friendly diet includes a low-fat and low-salt diet. Consume fibre , nuts and seeds , omega-3 rich foods , vegetables, and fruits. Avoiding canned and packed food also helps in preventing heart diseases.
4. Manage your weight: Obesity is a major risk factor leading to heart ailments. Women who have a body mass index (BMI) above 25 might be at an increased risk of heart diseases .
Regular work out and following the right diet can help in maintaining body weight.
5. Avoid tobacco and alcohol: The prevalence of smoking in women has increased over time . And being confined indoors makes one prone to the urge of reaching out for a cigarette or a drink . These must be avoided, as they increase the ri sk of hear t disease.
6. Be aware and prepared for the physical (limitations) and mental (emotional impacts) effects of the pandemic: Women must be prepared for the physical and emotional effects of the pandemic. The physical effects might include lack of mobility and social isolation, while the emotional effects could be depression, anxiety, and stress.
7. Keep yourself informed about heart disease to have a better understanding of how pandemic influenza can affect people’s hearts, to understand why it is being emphasized that each woman take care of their heart during this unusual situation.