We should do our best to take care of our hearts. Having a healthy heart is key to overall well-being. Following a healthy lifestyle at any point in our life like what’s recommended by the healthcare professionals at homecare in College Park, Maryland can help us avoid heart disease and lessen our risk of a heart attack or stroke. Forming good habits to foster good health can bring a lot of advantages, even if we’ve already experienced a heart attack. Read on to know some of the recommended ways to keep our hearts healthy.
- Have a healthy and balanced diet
The key to healthy eating, in the long run, is balance. What we eat should consist mostly of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and lean proteins. If we usually eat like this, we can indulge sometimes. We should avoid eating heavily processed foods and it’s better if we drink water instead of soda or energy drinks.
- Keep a healthy weight
It’s not healthy to be obese. The heavier we become, the higher our body mass index (BMI). Our BMI is the measure of our body fat according to our weight and height. When we have BMI, we also have a high risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels. We can ask for assistance from our caregivers such as those providing homecare services in Maryland on our ideal BMI.
- Do regular exercise
It’s essential that we do regular exercise. We don’t have to go to the gym. What we need to do is to keep our bodies moving. We can go jogging, go for a walk, dance, do some push-ups, etc. Our therapists can also recommend the most suitable exercises for us. It’s recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that we do moderate aerobic activity for a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes per week. For children, it’s recommended that they get a minimum of one hour of activity daily. Doing aerobic activity directly affects our hearts. Our heart is a muscle and doing exercise makes it stronger. If our heart is strong, it becomes more efficient in pumping blood to provide oxygen and other kinds of nutrients to various parts of our body. Doing exercise lessens our risk of developing plaque in our arteries.
- Quit smoking
Smoking is bad for everybody. It can cause cancer. It destroys our lungs. It’s terrible for our hearts as well. Smoking raises our chances of developing heart disease. It destroys the lining of our arteries. A lot of research has proven that cigarette smoking is among the main causes of coronary heart disease that leads to heart attacks. We can ask for advice from our caregivers on effective ways to quit smoking.
At MIC Homecare Services, you can avail of excellent quality services from our healthcare professionals to help you keep good heart health and overall well-being. Feel free to contact us to know more about our services, including skilled nursing.