September 29, marks World Heart Day, founded by the World Heart Federation. Started in 2012 by the world leaders with an aim to reduce global mortality caused due to non-communicable diseases by 25% by the year 2025, this day lays emphasis on taking proper care of the most important organ of the human body – The Heart.

Heart is an incredible organ, the lifeline. Cardiovascular Disease is the world’s number 1 reason behind the mortality rate. Unfortunately, youngsters these days are being affected by various heart-related ailments that can cause untimely death. According to statistics, heart conditions cost around 17.9 million lives each year.

World Heart Day addresses how various risk factors like unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, tobacco, intake of drugs, other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, stress, anxiety are leading to heart diseases.  Taking care of heart should be a daily routine for all of us, irrespective of age and gender. In this article, we will bring you top 5 ways to care for your heart, for a healthy living.

Eat Right:

The first step towards protecting your heart lies in eating right type of food, in right quantities. Cut down on the salts, sugars, oils and fats to prevent building up of bad cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes.  Stay away from processed and refined foods and adopt healthy eating habits. Doctors recommend legumes, nuts and seeds, whole foods, low-fat dairy and fibre loaded foods for maintaining a healthy heart.

Get Physical:

Nothing keeps your heart happy and healthy than a 20-minute walk daily. Make it a practice to walk, jog or practice Yoga for both mental and physical fitness. Strength training, resistance training, aerobics, running strengthen your heart muscles and aid in better functioning.

Sleep Well:

If you are sleep deprived for various reasons or fighting insomnia, address it right away. An 8-hour sound sleep is all you need for your heart to function to its optimum capacity and to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and other related ailments. In fact, sleep deprivation is one of the main reasons behind heart problems.

Quit Smoking:

Smoking is injurious to health and even more to the heart. Many assume that smoking affects lung health, but it equally hurts the heart too. Stay away from cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other types of tobacco as it makes your heart go weaker and cause various complications. You can feel good heart health within a month of bidding a goodbye to cigarettes.

Stress Is Bad:

Stress and anxiety have become a norm for many of us these days but these both factors are silent killers. Stay stress free and stop feeling anxious over petty issues. Yoga, deep breathing exercises, meditation help in leading a stress-free life and improve heart health.