7 Tips for a Healthy Heart for Seniors

December 31, 2020

In recent days we come across quite a number of people suffering from heart problems.   Surveys say that congestive heart failure occurs 10 times more often in people older than 60 years than it occurs for younger people.  We all should know that our heart has its own pacemaker, whose system starts to develop fibre and fat deposits through aging,  which may lead to a slower heart rate, which later leads to some severe heart issues.  So it is necessary for everyone to take care of their heart regularly.  Listed down some tips to take care of the heart efficiently and let us protect ourselves and our loved ones by following these tips.

 

BALANCED DIET

Following a balanced and healthy diet is one of the most essential step in order to have a healthy heart. And it is important to choose a diet plan based on your health conditions. So it is preferable to consult a healthcare professional before planning your diet.

 

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: It is really good to add some leafy green vegetables to your diet like spinach, kale and collard, etc. These leafy green vegetables are rich in Vitamin-K which protects your arteries and helps in proper blood clothing.

 

 

WHOLE GRAINS: Adding whole grains like brown rice, oats, rye and barley, which are rich in fibre, to your diet will help you to reduce the unwanted cholesterol and keeps your heart healthy. 

 

OMEGA-3: It’s the best for people over 60 years of age to add fatty fishes or fish oil to their weekly diet. People who dislike seafood can go with fish oil supplements instead.

Fish varieties like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines are full of Omega-3 which has very good heart health benefits. And as we know fishes are good for boosting our vision capabilities.

 

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

 

 

Adding 30 minutes of cardio exercises to your daily tasks will increase your heart rate and blood flow and eventually will lead you to a healthy heart. Light activities like walking, swimming, stationary biking and light aerobics are preferable. It is recommended by Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology Activity Guideline for adults aged above 60 years to have 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. This tells us how important physical activity is to our health.

 

AVOID SMOKING

 

 

Are you one of the continuous smoker types? Then this one’s for you. The most important task that you need to do to keep your heart healthy, is to quit smoking. It is a proven fact that getting out of smoking leads to a positive development of one’s heart and takes them away from serious heart troubles.

 

MEDICATION AS PRESCRIBED

 

It is important for seniors to have their regular body check-ups at regular intervals of time and they should be taking their medications regularly as prescribed without skipping any one of them. High blood pressure and cholesterol will lead to severe illness, so it is best to prevent them before they happen.

 

HUMAN EMOTIONS

 

We all know that all our emotions are linked with our heart in some way. It is said that chronic frustration, stress, fear and depression can be one of the worst enemies for our heart and lead to various heart diseases. Gratitude is one of the emotions that can heal our heart, spending 5 minutes daily to think about the things that you are thankful for can really help to increase your heart condition. Laughing is also a healing emotion that can help you have a healthy heart. For that to happen, you can watch comedies, read some comic books and spend time with fun and happy people.

 

STOPPING FAST FOOD AND SUGAR

 

As we humans start aging the ability of our body to absorb all the nutrients in the food decreases. So as a fact we should stop eating fast foods which have the least nutrients and start treating ourselves to healthy food habits which are rich in nutrients and minerals.It is appreciable to take dairy products that are fat-free or with less fat as they are rich in Vitamin-D which helps in building a healthy heart. It is advisable to reduce the intake of sugar whenever you can.

 

YOGA

 

 

Yoga helps to improve balance, flexibility and strength which is good for both your body and your heart. Yoga has its own advantages like helping you relax and relieve your stresses which eventually reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Yoga helps you to increase the blood flow in your body by boosting the capacities of your heart, which is essential to build a healthy heart.  So it is good to spend 30 to 40 minutes a day doing yoga and stay healthy.

 

Let’s all take a vow today to take care of our heart and give the care that it needs from this moment onwards. Let us all follow all the above tips for ourselves and for our loved ones and lead a healthy life.

 

Author: Team 60plus India

 

Keywords: Heart problems, slow heart rate, healthy diet, protects arteries, reduce unwanted cholesterol, laughing - healing emotion

 

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