How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

(Rachael william). Submitted on Wed, 11 Jan 2012

The benefits of keeping your heart healthy are obvious, yet someone in the UK has a heart attack every two minutes.  Many people in the UK every year still experience heart problems due to poor lifestyle choices.



One way you can keep an eye on your general heart health is through a heart rate monitor, but that alone won’t keep your heart healthy. Technology has made heart rate monitors more accessible than ever before through things like sports watches and mobile apps.

Below are a number of things to consider when taking a proactive approach to a healthier heart.

    * Stop smoking

Even if you exercise regularly, smoking can still have an adverse affect on your heart. By using heart rate monitors, people can see the effect smoking has on their heart rate despite otherwise being fit.

It may take some time to stop smoking, especially if you choose to cut down gradually, but you’ll soon start to feel the benefits. If you have a heart rate monitor for exercising, even if it’s just walking, you’ll also notice the positive difference in the figures.

    * A safe alcohol intake

Staying within the recommended weekly alcohol intake limits is another way to a healthier heart.

For men, the recommended limit is 21 units of alcohol per week and for women it’s no more than 14 units of alcohol per week. See the NHS Choices Alcohol Unit Calculator for guidance on how many units are in different drinks.  http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Alcohol-unit-calculator.aspx  These shouldn’t be ‘stored up’ and used in one go either, as binge drinking is not a healthy way to enjoy alcohol.

    * Diet

If your diet is high in saturated fats through eating things like crisps, chocolate and junk food on a regular basis, wearing a heart rate monitor the next time you go for a walk may give you a nasty shock.

If your heart is working too hard when you’re walking, running or taking part in any form of exercise, it’s a sign you have a problem.

    * Exercise

Being overweight and embarking on an exercise programme can be dangerous in some cases. It’s advisable to speak to your GP or pharmacist first, especially if you haven’t exercised for some time.

Heart rate monitors provide a great way to keep track of your heart health and overall level of fitness and can be bought relative cheaply online.

Striving for a healthier heart by losing weight, giving up smoking or cutting down on alcohol can improve your life expectancy, as well as making you feel better generally.

Remember to ease yourself in gradually to any exercise regime if you haven’t been active for a prolonged period.

 

About the Author

The Co-operative Pharmacy has more information on heart health and heart rate monitors online. A heart rate monitor should be used as a general indicator of your health and is not a substitute for medical advice from a healthcare professional.

 

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