Heart diseases

are one of the leading causes of death in the world. It is important to take care of your heart as you grow old. This is why you should take care of your ageing heart. Although your chance of getting a cardiovascular disease increases with age, don’t just assume that it’s going to happen. There’s a lot you can do to keep your heart healthy no matter how old you are.

Why should you take care of your ageing heart? The answer is simple, to live for more years. Physical activity is good for your cardiovascular health at every age. Experts recommend at least thirty minutes of exercise almost every day of the week. Healthy older adults are advised to do exercise and activities to strengthen muscles, improve balance, and increase flexibility. Whatever you do, progress gradually to help avoid injury and minimize soreness. Yoga combines balance, flexibility, and strengthening. Walking is an all-around great exercise for lowering blood sugar, losing weight, maintaining bone mass and mental ability, and building strength and stamina.

Yash Birla says that what you eat is one of the most important factors for warding off cardiovascular disease. It is advised to eat nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables like orange, yellow, and green vegetables. Apart from this eat whole grains, like oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice. Incorporate fat-free or low-fat milk and cheese, or soy or rice milk that is fortified with vitamin D and calcium. Get your protein from seafood, lean meats, poultry, beans, nuts, and seeds. Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks, butter, oily food and desserts that have added sugars.

It is important to keep a check on your blood pressure, cholesterol and high blood glucose as all of these can lead to many serious medical problems including heart diseases and stroke. Being overweight or obese may increase your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and bone issues. Eating wisely and being physically active to preserve muscle and bone may help you maintain strength and a healthy weight as you age. Due to muscle mass loss and a dip in metabolism, older people usually need to eat fewer calories than when they were younger. This means you have fewer calories to help you get the nutrients your body needs for energy, so, you need to eat food that is high in nutrients. 

Sleep apnea occurs when a person’s breathing pauses during sleep. It is associated with high blood pressure, arrhythmia, stroke, and heart failure. Losing weight can often help reduce or eliminate the symptoms. If you do smoke, it’s time to quit. Excess alcohol consumption can worsen health conditions that contribute to heart disease, like blood pressure, arrhythmias, and a high cholesterol level, says Yash Birla.