Valentine's Day ♥ Take care of your heart

It's Valentine's Day! A day filled with love. Love can last a lifetime, just like the beating of a heart. Your heart plays a vital role in your overall well-being, so it’s essential to adopt healthy habits to keep it in top shape. Here are some tips to achieve that:

1: Eat enough fruit and vegetables

Taking good care of your heart also means eating enough fruits and vegetables. Why? These contain important vitamins, minerals and fibre that contribute to your health. We recommend consuming 2 pieces of fruit and at least 250 grams of vegetables per day.

2: Get enough exercise

Exercise is healthy, for your heart as well. Good fitness would reduce the risk of high blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Aim to exercise intensively for at least 30 minutes each day, depending on your fitness level. In any case, make sure you put your heart to work!

3: Quit smoking

Smoking is not good for your health. Among other diseases and ailments, it can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. The nicotine in a cigarette increases blood pressure and your heart rate. Carbon monoxide also displaces oxygen in your blood. In addition, there are substances in a cigarette that damage the vascular wall. As early as a year after quitting smoking, the risk of heart disease is less. Note that passive smoking also has disadvantages for your heart health!

4: Eat as little salt as possible

Excessive salt intake can increase your blood pressure. The heart has to work much harder to pump the blood around. Avoid products with a lot of added salt, such as snacks and ready-made meals.

5: Eat unsaturated fats

If your diet consists mainly of saturated fats, this can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. For example, leave that bag of crisps behind more often and go for unsalted nuts instead. Or choose low-fat and semi-skimmed dairy products instead of the full-fat variety.

6: Avoid stress

Long-term stress can increase blood pressure. Try relaxation or breathing exercises, yoga, or exercise to help reduce stress. Do you struggle to manage stress, or do you have depressive thoughts? Then seek professional help from your GP.