Our heart is literally the centre of our being and its functioning is crucial to our health and wellbeing. But many times we’re too busy, and tend to neglect taking specific steps to make our hearts healthy.
We can introduce little changes into our habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift; parking a bit further from our destination to add a few steps to our daily step count; removing or at least reducing sugar-laden soft drinks or energy drinks from our diet.
There are three easy switches that you can make that will give you positive health benefits and contribute towards your heart’s health.
Swap an online meeting or online chats to an in-person meeting
Do you use WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger, Teams, Google Meet, Zoom for most of your work communications? Many of us do these days.
The issue with these methods of communications is that they tend to isolate us and we may start feeling lonely and distanced from others. Loneliness and isolation puts us at higher risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke while it has been proven that better social connectedness may even reduce the risk of anxiety and depression.
While you may still need to depend on these electronic means of communication, try to take time out of your schedule to grab a coffee, a quick lunch, or a walk with a colleague or friend. The face-to-face interaction will help you feel more engaged, connected, and valued. In fact some doctors are doing “social prescriptions”: encouraging people to get involved in activities that will build social relationships. Volunteering is one such activity that can help you build meaningful social relationships.
Swap no breakfast or an unhealthy one for something tasty yet healthy
What’s your usual breakfast? Something that includes saturated fat, processed meats, sugars and refined grains? Starting your day regularly with these kinds of foods is likely to push up your weight, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and that is definitely bad for your heart.
Instead, you should opt for foods that are high in fibre, such as fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains (oats, barley, quinoa). Fibre helps digestion and also traps and lowers the bad (LDL) cholesterol that can give you clogged arteries. Fibre also controls blood sugar, lowering the risk of diabetes that is also strongly associated with heart attacks and strokes.
Swap a few minutes scrolling with time for meditation
Do you spend your lunch break having a quick scan of the different news portals or social media platforms? If you do manage to find such time throughout your day, then the chances are that you can also find a short slot to meditate. Meditation is known to be beneficial for heart health, with research showing that people who meditate regularly having lower cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, and diabetes when compared to people who do not meditate.
What’s the connection?
When you meditate, you trigger your body’s relaxation response which appears to help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, your breathing rate and your levels of stress.
The good news is that all you need is from 10 to 20 minutes a day to be able to gain these amazing meditation benefits for your heart.
Meditation does not need to be complicated. Just try to calm your brain for a few minutes a day.
One idea is for you to sit quietly for a short while with your eyes closed and focus on your breathing. During this time, try to suspend judgement and ignore sounds around you and thoughts that pop into your head.
You can also listen to a guided meditation – there are loads of apps out there that can help you, and listen to calming sounds such as the sound of the sea.
Practice helps, and you will find that soon you will find it easier to unplug and switch off, no matter how busy you are.
Are you interested in a comprehensive physical screening that is the basis to support your heart health? Kick start your journey to a healthier you.
Contact us today on +356 21221355, 9985 2404 or send an email on info@clinipath.com.mt.
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