There was a time when people died of infectious diseases. With the advancement of medical science that has truly become a thing of the past. In today’s scenario cardiovascular causes are the leading cause of death worldwide.
Imagine your heart to be the judge in a courtroom and you to be the offender. What would be the cases your heart would convict you for?
- Smoking: Smoking kills. It hardens the arteries of your heart and narrows them down causing less blood to flow through it. It also increases your blood pressure, making your heart stressed out by having to work more against that increased pressure.
- Your couch: Yes, the couch is a big culprit. It makes you want to lie comfortably on it the whole day, munching all the wonderful snacks and not moving an inch. How your heart hates the couch! You end up gaining weight, the salt content in the junk food makes your blood pressure shoot up and your heart ends up bearing all the consequences!
- Oversleeping: Early morning walks benefit the body in a number of ways. They are good exercise for the heart and the vitamin D helps in making your bones stronger. Also recent studies have found that vitamin D is extremely useful to cut down the cholesterol levels and bring down your BP. So not going for a morning walk is a good enough reason for your heart to hold a grudge against you.
- Skipping the gym: Your heart is a muscle. It could use some exercise too. 30 to 45 minutes daily may seem like a lot to you and hence you end up not going to the gym. But your heart doesn’t think that way. It could use the exercise to get strong and fight off the risks like high blood pressure, heart failure and diabetes mellitus.
- Too much coffee: You need that much coffee to keep you going through the day, you may argue. But the heart disagrees. That much coffee leaves it all too high strung. It would prefer green tea perhaps?
- Too much work stress: So you are a go-getter. You have to finish things before time and also get a lot of work done in too little time. Your heart would prefer you to slow down! As frankly it is your heart that keeps you going and not the other way round. So relax, take a deep breath and do something that will make your heart smile.
- Too many burgers: Well not just burgers but also pizzas, chips, crispies, sodas! So much of unhealthy stuff! Give your heart a treat by eating something that makes the heart happy. Go for leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, fibrous foods and lots of water instead!
- Too much of eggs and red meat: So you love rich foods? Did you know that the proteins and fat in it break down and eventually form a substance called TMAO? This TMAO is responsible for plaque build-up in your arteries that eventually leads to atherosclerosis.
- Not sleeping enough: Your heart has worked hard the whole day and now needs its well deserved rest. You cutting down on your sleep to achieve your targets will only make your heart stressed out and unfit!
