With nearly 2 million heart attacks a year in India alone, the need of the hour is a movement towards better heart health. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s launch of the Fit India movement, the nation’s leader urges Indians to get more active for better health. For most adults, heart health does not require intensive medical care. A few good habits followed daily like keeping active, can make a big difference in the health and wellbeing of an individual.

Here Are 5 Healthy Habits For Better Heart Health

Fitness: Get up and get moving. If going to the gym daily sounds too intimidating, you can always start slow. Take a walk daily for about half an hour. Gradually, you can increase your pace till you are jogging or running. Once you have got used to being more active everyday, you can then take on more strenuous activities.

De-Stress

Stress can raise blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure puts a strain on the heart and weakens heart muscles. De-stressing techniques like meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises can help to reduce stress and in turn keep blood pressure under control. Something as simple as taking a few deep breaths when you start to feel stressed can help to calm you down and handle the tension better.

Diet

It’s no secret that what we eat can either make us healthy or make us sick. Avoid unhealthy foods that are high in LDL cholesterol like trans fats, and refined sugars. These include deep fried foods, fast foods, processed foods, and sweets. These types of foods can cause inflammation and arterial blocks which increases the risk of heart disease. Stick to fresh, home-cooked meals with lots of vegetables to keep your heart healthy.

Sleep

Lack of sleep has been linked to incidents of strokes and heart attacks. Adults require between 6-8 hours of sleep for overall health and wellbeing, and especially for their heart. If you are not getting enough sleep it is time to start making a few changes. Go to bed earlier or even wake up a little later if you can. If you are having a hard time falling asleep try having a warm shower one hour before bedtime, stay away from all electronic screens, and keep the room dark and cool. If you are spending enough hours in bed but still feel tired during the day it is a good idea to see a sleep specialist and get the quality of your sleep assessed.

Get Checked

Sometimes you do everything you can to keep healthy, but some hereditary or congenital problem could creep up without you even noticing. It is always better to get regular health check-ups to ensure that any heart conditions get caught in the early stages and can be effectively treated. Annual check-ups should be made a habit, especially if there is a history of cardiovascular disease in your family.

Inculcating these habits can keep your heart strong and healthy.