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How a Healthy Lifestyle Can Reduce Your Stroke Risk: The Importance of Exercise, Diet, and Stress Management

stroke

Imagine waking up one morning and feeling a sudden numbness or weakness on one side of your body. Your speech is slurred, and you have trouble understanding others. These are all classic symptoms of a stroke, a medical emergency that can have devastating consequences.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked or ruptured. However, the risk of stroke can be greatly reduced through lifestyle changes. By controlling your blood pressure and embracing healthy habits—such as a balanced diet, regular exercise, and effective stress management—you can significantly lower the chances of stroke, disability, or even death. Let’s explore how these changes can enhance your overall well-being.

Keep Moving: The Importance of Exercise

Physical activity is crucial for preventing strokes. It helps improve blood vessel function and tackles several risk factors directly.

 Why Exercise Matters:

  • Manage Risk Factors: Regular exercise can help control conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. It also reduces the likelihood of binge drinking and smoking.
  • Boost Heart Health: Both moderate and high-intensity workouts can increase levels of good cholesterol (HDL-C), which is beneficial for your heart.

How to Get Started: Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise three to five times a week. If you’re short on time, try fitting in 10-minute bursts of activity throughout your day, like during breaks between meetings.

Feed Your Body: The Role of Diet

A healthy diet can help control many stroke risk factors, including high inflammation and diabetes. 

What to Include:

  • Fruits and Vegetables: Aim for 4 to 5 servings a day to support heart health and maintain a healthy weight.
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Include flaxseeds, walnuts, or chia seeds, or eat two to three servings of oily fish weekly, like salmon or herring.
  • Fiber-Rich Whole Grains: These provide essential nutrients and fiber that are good for your heart.

What to Avoid:

  • High Sodium: Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, increasing stroke risk.
  • No Smoking: Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke, which can damage your arteries.
  • Alcohol: It is advisable to limit/avoid alcohol

Discover Your Zen: Managing Stress

Stress is a significant factor that can increase stroke risk, both in the short and long term. The good news is that there are effective ways to manage stress.

Mindfulness Matters: Being present and engaged in your surroundings can enhance your mental well-being and reduce stress.

Breathing Techniques:

Deep Breathing: Find a comfortable position, inhale deeply through your nose, hold for a count of five, and then exhale slowly through your nose. Repeat this 3-5 times to calm your mind.

  • Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and then relax each muscle group in your body, beginning with your toes and gradually moving up to your head. This method can aid in releasing tension and fostering a sense of relaxation.
  • Building a Support System
    Creating a strong network of relationships can provide emotional support and help you manage stress more effectively. Surrounding yourself with friends and family who encourage healthy habits can make a significant difference in your lifestyle choices.

Thus, incorporating regular exercise, a balanced diet, and effective stress management into your daily routine can play a crucial role in reducing the risk of stroke. Even small, consistent changes can lead to significant improvements in your overall health. Make your well-being a priority and don’t hesitate to seek support from those around you. Remember, your health is always worth the effort!

If these tips helped, let us know in the comments! For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

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Your Heart and You 2: Habits for a Healthy Heart

heart healthAakash wondered why every Hollywood and Bollywood movie stressed the “heart”. Some dialogues bothered him:

“My heart aches at the way you have treated your friends.”

“Don’t you feel anything? Are you heartless?”

What Affects Heart Health?

It is interesting to note that a heart attack is usually the result of an emotional outburst or a very emotionally charged situation. While many of us have similar experiences, some are potent to handle such sudden shocks that the heart receives. This depends on the emotional and mental health of a person, dietary habits, sleep quality, the capability of handling stress, faulty habits, etc.

The heart, apart from pumping blood and ensuring every cell receives blood and oxygen, governs largely the emotional and physical well-being of a person (it also overlaps with the Anahat or Hridaya chakra in Indian Vedic understanding). So, a healthy heart depends largely on the emotional and mental well-being of a person as well as nutrition.

It is now a known fact that feelings of stress, anxiety, etc. adversely impact the overall health of a person, especially the heart. As stress increases, the cortisol levels (stress hormone) impacts all the hormones and organs, affecting basic  physiology, including the cardiovascular system.

These emotions create a chain reaction in the body — stress hormone levels increase, blood vessels constrict, blood pressure rises, and the immune system is weakened. If we consistently experience these emotions, it can put a strain on the heart and other organs, and eventually lead to serious health problems.

In my previous article, I spoke about the signs of heart disease to watch out for. Here, let us look at healthy habits for a healthy heart!

Do the Following to Ensure a Healthy Heart

  1. Be happy: If you cannot feel positive and good, simply recall a time when you felt sincere appreciation and try to recreate that feeling. Look at photographs of happier times, keep a diary where you record your positive events and feelings from your life.
  2. Exercise: Get regular with yoga, especially pranayama and exercise. Exercising helps heart muscles become more efficient at pumping blood throughout the body. It allows the body’s tissue (including the heart) to do a better job of pulling oxygen from the blood. This allows your heart to work effectively under stress. It also helps the body make more branches and connections between these blood vessels (collaterals), so there are other routes for the blood to travel if the usual path is blocked by narrow arteries or fatty deposits. Instead of a 45-minute workout, it is best that the body is moving every half an hour! A small 2-minute walk every half an hour is also helpful as, along with the cardiovascular system, it also keeps our lymphatic system active. However, if you have a heart condition, please take the advice of your doctor before taking strenuous exercises or pranayama.
  3. Do what you like doing and stop what you don’t! It will help you keep your stress levels in check and be happy!
  4. Take care of what you eat: Have a good portion of breakfast, followed by small meals, lunch and dinner 2-4 hours before you sleep. Follow the advice of your nutritionist/doctor, if something special has been designed for you!
  5. Vegetarian food is easily digested by the body. It will also help you cut back on higher-calorie foods such as meat, cheese and snack foods. Whole grains play a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health. Add flaxseeds to your diet as they are rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
  6. Limit unhealthy choices: Reduce or stop refined oils, refined sugar and aerated drinks.
  7. Choose low-fat protein sources like flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil. Legumes, beans, peas and lentils are good sources of protein and contain less fat and no cholesterol, making them good substitutes for meat.
  8. Reduce the sodium in your food: You can replace your normal salt with rock salt or pink salt.
  9. Quality is better than quantity: If your body feels fresh and charged after 4-5 hours of sleep, it implies quality sleep. But tiredness even after 6-8 hours of sleep is worrisome. Usually deep breathing before sleep and dinner 4 hours prior to sleep helps one sleep better.

The heart is the biggest miracle which works every moment to keep you alive! Cherish it by living healthy. For more on heart health, check out Healthy Reads or speak to a certified expert by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

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Your Heart and You: Signs of Heart Disease to Watch Out For

heart diseaseMishita, 55 years old, had been feeling low and depressed for a few months. For the past 2 days, she began experiencing slight restlessness, palpitations, and a suffocating feeling followed by mild chest pain radiating to her left shoulder. Being alone, she called her daughter to share these symptoms. Her daughter immediately alerted a neighbour who had basic knowledge about heart symptoms and helped save Mishita from a major heart attack. Early signs of arteriosclerosis were detected, and with lifestyle changes, Mishita is now happy, healthy, and almost off medication!

How & When Does Heart Disease Develop?

Heart disease often develops over time due to an unhealthy lifestyle. Early signs or symptoms can manifest long before a serious heart issue arises. In my practice, I have seen that the body, including the heart, will give several signs before it deteriorates. It’s up to you how much you listen to your body.

Heart disease describes a range of conditions affecting the heart. It could relate to blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease—especially arteriosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart, which can lead to myocardial infarction)—or arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats due to issues with the heart’s electrical system). Some people are born with heart conditions, such as congenital heart defects. Two major factors that affect heart health are a person’s physiological and emotional constitution.

Psychoneuroimmunology has proven that individuals who are sad, depressed, unhealthy, or unhappy are at greater risk for heart attacks and other diseases. Emotional, mental, and physical well-being are key to leading a healthy life.

Signs To Watch Out For

I’ll be discussing common symptoms of a heart attack, as the number of people affected continues to rise. If you experience any of the following symptoms at any age, it’s crucial to seek medical advice:

  • Chest Pain: Discomfort or pain in the chest, which can be felt on the left, center, or sometimes even the right side, and may radiate to the left shoulder, upper back, jaw, or chin. There are many causes of chest pain unrelated to the heart, but it remains the most common symptom of poor blood flow to the heart cells, leading to a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
  • It can feel like crushing pain or mild discomfort.
  • It might feel heavy, or like the heart is being squeezed. Some may feel a sharp, burning sensation in the chest or upper stomach area.
  • Chest pain may occur during activity, after emotional experiences, or at rest, and may improve with rest or nitroglycerin.
  • Bad indigestion can also cause chest pain, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate heart trouble. However, any symptoms are the body’s way of communicating, so do not ignore them.

Additional symptoms to be aware of include extreme anxiety, fainting, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too fast or irregularly), shortness of breath, and heavy sweating.

For individuals with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol, symptoms may include fatigue, shortness of breath, general weakness, or changes in skin color.

Symptoms That Need Cardiac Attention

  1. Shortness of Breath: When the heart can’t pump blood as well as it should, blood backs up in the veins that go from the lungs to the heart. Fluid leaks into the lungs and causes shortness of breath. This is a symptom of heart failure. One may notice shortness of breath during activity, while resting or when lying flat on the back – it might wake you up from sleep.
  2. Continuous coughing or wheezing could be a sign that the fluid is building up in the lungs. One may also cough up mucus that is pink or bloody.
  3. Swelling in the Legs, Ankles, or Feet: because the blood flow slows and backs up in the veins in the legs. This causes fluid to build up in the tissues. One may also experience swelling in the stomach or notice some weight gain. This is mostly seen in congestive cardiac failure.
  4. Narrowed Blood Vessels could mean a higher risk of a heart attack & can occur when cholesterol and other fatty material (plaque) builds upon the walls of the arteries. It is also the cause of hypertension.
  5. Fatigue: Tiredness can have many causes. It could be a sign of heart trouble when one feels so tired that regular activities are not conducted or when the feeling is sudden and leads to severe weakness
  6. Palpitations: If the heart can’t pump blood normally, it may beat faster to try to keep up. It might feel that the heart is racing or throbbing. A fast or uneven heartbeat can also be a sign of arrhythmia. This is a problem with your heart rate or rhythm.

The heart is an organ that never rests until you do. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for maintaining heart health. Your diet, sleep, stress levels, emotional state, and physical activity all play key roles in your heart’s well-being. If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, seek medical attention immediately.

Don’t let the rhythm of your heart be disturbed. In most heart-related cases, prevention is the only cure!

Watch out for Part 2 of this article. For more on heart health, check out Healthy Reads or speak to a certified expert by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

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6 Good Cholesterol Foods You Must Eat

good cholesterol foods

When someone mentions cholesterol, we often think of bad cholesterol and heart disease. However, there are also good cholesterol foods that are vital for our body. Functions like the synthesis of Vitamin D and hormones, as well as the formation and structure of cell membranes, rely on good cholesterol. 

What is Good Cholesterol? 

Good cholesterol refers to High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), which helps remove bad cholesterol, known as Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL). HDL helps transport LDL to the liver for removal from the body. Consuming foods high in saturated fats can increase LDL levels, raising the risk of heart disease and stroke.

While exercising, sleep, stress management, limiting alcohol intake and quitting smoking are essential for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, certain foods also help. Let’s take a look at some good cholesterol foods!

  1. Nuts and Seeds: They are high in healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and low on saturated fats, which help lower LDL cholesterol. They are rich in Alpha-Linoleic acid, which reduces inflammation and improves overall fat composition. These foods prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol by free radicals, reducing plaque formation. They are also an excellent source of plant-based protein and fiber which give you a feeling of fullness. They also have a good amount of micronutrients which make them an ideal post-workout meal. However if you have allergies to nuts and seeds, avoid them. 
  2. Avocados: They are both tasty and nutrient-rich. They contain a high amount of Oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that helps reduce inflammation and the risk of heart disease. Studies show that avocados can lower LDL cholesterol by 10% and total cholesterol by 8%. Additionally, avocados are high in fiber and healthy fats, which help you feel full for longer.
  3. Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which benefit vital organs like the heart, brain and lungs. They also contain Vitamin D and A, essential for good bone and eye health. These fish are particularly effective in reducing death rates due to myocardial infarction and arrhythmia. They also help lowering plaque build-up in arteries and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, these fish contain contaminants, so cleaning them thoroughly before consuming is crucial.
  4. Eggs: They have a bad reputation due to their fat content, but not all fat in eggs are harmful. Eggs contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are heart healthy, along with saturated and trans fats, which raise bad cholesterol levels. One egg can easily provide a quarter of your daily fat serving. So including eggs in breakfast easily helps you include healthy fats in your diet. It also supports weight loss by preventing cravings throughout the day. Egg is a complete food, rich in both macro and most micronutrients and a good source of protein. Helps improve Vitamin D levels by aiding in its absorption. Having whole eggs by people who are already at risk of high cholesterol levels may worsen the condition, so include egg white as most of the fat and cholesterol in eggs comes from its yolk.
  5. Complex Carbs: Whole grain cereals like millets, wheat bran, oats, brown rice, fruit and vegetables contain longer chains of sugar that take longer to digest and convert into glucose, which the body uses for energy. Including 2 servings of whole grain cereals can help lower bad cholesterol, as the fiber in these foods aids in its removal from the body and improves HDL cholesterol levels.
  6. Lentils and Pulses: Including these in your diet is an easy and inexpensive way to get both macro and micronutrients. Lentils are a good source of polyphenols, which reduce inflammation and prevent many life threatening diseases, including some types of cancer. Proteins in lentils help prevent blood vessel constriction, improve HDL levels and reduce LDL levels. Lentils are also rich in folate, which prevents the accumulation of homocysteine, a trigger factor for heart disease. 

We hope this article helps you understand the difference between bad cholesterol and good cholesterol foods, as well as what to eat to stay healthy. For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or ask an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

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