Anti-aging plan to take care of your heart

Do you spend a lot of time on your sofa?

If your life is sedentary, your heart is at risk. Think of the heart as a muscle and, like any other muscle, it needs to be exercised. If you do too much "sofing" it is easier for you to have high blood pressure and circulatory problems.

Get active!

Do 3 sessions of 20 minutes of intense physical activity (fast walking, running, swimming crowl …) or 4 sessions of 30 minutes of moderate activity (walking at a good pace, cycling at less than 6 km / h …) at the week helps you lose weight, which is the cause of cardiovascular problems, but at the same time, you really change your heart.

How? You get it to increase the size of its cavities and this makes it pump more blood with each beat. It also lowers your heart rate, which means you have to exert yourself less to pump your blood.

How many times a week do you eat precooked or fast food?

If the answer is more than one or two… we are not doing well. Processed food has too much salt and fat, two enemies of your heart because they translate into high blood pressure and cholesterol. If you think you don't take as much as this, check here where the hidden fat hides and where the salt is hidden.

Homemade food

Cooking at home is ensuring that you use the right amount of salt and fat and that these are healthy, such as olive oil. In addition, by planning your menus well, you will get to eat the three daily servings of fruit and two of vegetables that are recommended, the three of legumes weekly … If you are not sure if you are already doing it well, take this test and find out if your diet is really healthy.

Do you usually have a cafeteria breakfast?

If you usually have a coffee and a bun for breakfast or do it very frequently, your breakfast will be rich in fats and sugars and low in fiber. Outcome? Your palate will be happy, but your heart will not (and neither will your figure).

High fiber breakfast

The American Heart Association recommends making a breakfast rich in fiber, for example, including whole grains, yes, not sugary. And is that following a diet rich in fiber (about 25 g per day) helps control weight, cholesterol and, of course, cardiovascular disease.

Do you get up full from the table?

Having a coffee for breakfast and eating a cow at noon is a very common but also very dangerous habit, because the level of triglycerides in the blood suddenly increases, which can injure the arteries and cause clots and thrombi. Come on, a horror movie inside the veins.

Eat less but in more takes

Even if you end up eating the same amount of food, it is better to spread it over five meals than three. For this reason, at Clara we usually recommend menus with three main meals and two snacks. This takes care of your heart in two ways: one is by avoiding sharp increases in triglycerides; and another is helping you control your weight, because eating more frequently keeps your metabolism more active and because you run less risk of piece picking.

Are you losing sugar?

Well, you know that it is as bad as excess salt or fat. And it is not only because it can end up being transformed into extra kilos, but because it can also increase the pressure. So neither the salt shaker nor the sugar shaker are good company.

For sweet … the fruit

If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, you can always turn to seasonal fruit. If you want to enhance its sweetness point, you can heat it either in the microwave or on the grill (without oil), you can also compote it over low heat, with a little water and a date to add sweetness.

Do you put the serving dishes in the middle of the table?

Then, surely you are going to eat more. There are many studies that show that it is one of the factors that can lead to overweight and obesity, because it is almost impossible not to help yourself or repeat if you have the source on the table. And the extra pounds do not help good heart health.

Serve the dishes in the kitchen

In this way you guarantee that the portion is what it has to be. If you have food left over, put it in tuppers to store. And don't worry, there are also studies showing that few people get up from the table to go to the kitchen to refill their plate. Laziness beats gluttony.

Are you a self-confessed carnivore?

Another bad news for your heart, because meat, especially red meat, is usually accompanied by fat. It is best to eat lean red meat and do not do it more than once a week. Whenever you can, consume white meat (poultry, rabbit), fish and, of course, protein of vegetable origin (legumes, tofu, seitan, nuts …).

Make your life more veggie

Think that the WHO recommends consuming 25% protein of animal origin (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) and 75% of vegetable origin (legumes, cereals, nuts …). The good news is that fashion in gastronomy is allied with health and there are more and more veggie recipes at your disposal. So you have no excuse not to eat more legumes or veggie burgers, for example.

Do you still smoke?

We only have one thing to tell you about it: if you quit, in a year your risk of suffering a heart attack drops by half. Is there something else to add?

Breathe fully

This is what you will get by saying goodbye to cigarettes. What is not so easy? Your GP will be happy to give you a lead. Also, think that if you smoke more than half a pack a day or do it very early, you are going to need more than willpower and you will surely have to follow a nicotine replacement therapy based on gum, candy or patches.

In the supermarket, do you buy by the brand? In case it says bio or eco?

Well, you may be taking home products that do not suit you. Because, for example, a package of potato chips is just as salty and fatty regardless of the brand and whether or not it is organic or eco-friendly. In the latter case, the only thing that happens is that the potatoes, the fat and the salt with which it has been made are of organic origin.

Before putting it in the basket, read the labels

Look at the fat content. If it is less than 5.25 g per 100 g, you can take it home. Between 5.25 and 14 g, take it in moderation. More than 14 g, you better not buy it.

Do you sleep on your back?

If so, surely you have more numbers of snoring at night and snoring affects the heart, because it can be accompanied by small periods of time in which you stop breathing (sleep apnea), which causes the supply to be interrupted of oxygen. Take note of these tips to avoid snoring.

Stand on your side

If you find it difficult to stop sleeping on your back, try this trick: put on a back pocket shirt and put a golf ball in your pocket. If what you usually do is sleep on your stomach, put your pocket and the ball in front. The discomfort of having the ball pressing against your body will lead you to adopt a side position.

Are you having fun on your own?

There is nothing wrong with that, but if your hobbies (listening to music, reading, watching TV, following social networks …) lead you to neglect your social life, then your heart begins to suffer. According to a study by the Universities of Utah and North Carolina (USA), having a good network of family and friends support is as good for your health as quitting smoking. And another study, this one from University College London, has concluded that people with a poor personal life are 34% more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease.

Meet your friends

It has been shown that with the support of friends, you can live longer even with heart problems. Research conducted by Duke University (USA) in 1,000 singles with cardiovascular disease concluded that, after five years, only 50% of patients who had no trusted friends survived, compared to 85% of those that they did maintain at least a strong bond of friendship. Another Australian study says that surrounding yourself with strong friends can increase life expectancy by 22%.

Are you and your boy very angry?

Getting angry in and of itself is bad. The University of South Carolina (USA) has found that people who get very angry are 71% more likely to have hypertension than calm people. But, also, that you know that divorce multiplies by 1.5 the chances of a heart attack, especially in women, according to the journal Circulation.

Take care of your relationship

Having moments to be alone, cultivate hobbies in common, even doing day-to-day tasks together, helps to take care of each other. The same as speaking with affection, arguing without accusing you of anything … And here you will find more tips to better connect with your partner.

Do you have little desire for sex?

Oops, oops … There are studies that show the relationship between having little sexual intercourse and a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, especially in the case of women with low desire, who tend to suffer more heart attacks. So remedy it!

Put passion in your life

Having sex twice a week can reduce the chances of having a heart attack by up to 50% compared to those who only do it once a month, according to a study published in The American Journal of Cardiology . And if you don't know how to light the flame, let our expert, Elsy Reyes, tell you a few things.

Heart problems are the leading cause of death in women, but we can do a lot to rejuvenate our hearts and protect ourselves from cardiovascular disease. In the gallery that we offer you, you can review what are the habits that you should change to get your heart to take years off and be healthy and strong.

Food, key to protecting your heart

Less precooked and more chup chup. Processed food has too much salt and fat, two enemies of your heart, because they translate into high blood pressure and cholesterol. Cooking at home is ensuring that you use the right amount of salt and fat and that these are healthy, such as olive oil. In addition, planning your menus well, you will get to eat the three daily servings of fruit and two of vegetables that are recommended, the three of legumes weekly …
More fiber in your breakfast. The American Heart Association recommends making a breakfast rich in fiber, for example, including whole grains, yes, not sugary. And is that following a diet rich in fiber (about 25 g per day) helps control weight, cholesterol and, of course, cardiovascular diseases.
Be careful with the feasts. Having a coffee for breakfast and eating a cow at noon is a very common habit, but also very dangerous because it suddenly increases the level of triglycerides in the blood, which can injure the arteries and cause clots and thrombi. Even if you end up eating the same amount, it is better to spread it over five meals than three.
Control the salt shaker but not the sugar bowl? Well, you know that sugar is as bad as excess salt or fat. And it is not only because it can end up being transformed into extra kilos, but because it can also increase the pressure. If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, you can always turn to seasonal fruit.
Serve the dishes in the kitchen. In this way you guarantee that the portion is what it has to be. If you have food left over, put it in tuppers to store. And don't worry, there are studies that show that few people get up from the table to go to the kitchen to refill their plate. Laziness beats gluttony.
Less red meat and more vegetable protein. Red meat is usually accompanied by a lot of fat. It is better to eat lean red meat and do not do it more than once a week. Whenever you can, consume white meat (poultry, rabbit), fish and, of course, protein of vegetable origin (legumes, tofu, seitan, nuts …). Think that the WHO recommends consuming 25% protein of animal origin (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) and 75% of plant origin (legumes, cereals, nuts …).

Habits that take years off your heart

Do more exercise. Do 3 sessions of 20 minutes of intense physical activity (fast walking, running, swimming crowl …) or 4 sessions of 30 minutes of moderate activity (walking at a good pace, cycling at less than 6 km / h …) at the week helps you lose weight, which is the cause of cardiovascular problems. Plus, you actually change your heart by making its chambers larger, allowing it to pump more blood with each beat. It also lowers your heart rate, which means you have to exert less effort to pump it.
At the grocery store, look at the label, not the package. If you only look at the brand or slogans on the package, you may be taking home products that do not suit you. Because, for example, a package of potato chips is just as salty and fatty regardless of the brand and whether or not it is bio or eco. In the latter case, the only thing that happens is that the potatoes, the fat and the salt with which it has been made are of organic origin. Look at the fat content. If it is less than 5.25 g per 100 g, you can take it home. Between 5.25 and 14 g, take it in moderation. More than 14 g, you better not buy it.
Sleep on your back? If you do, you have more numbers of snoring at night and snoring affects the heart, because it can be accompanied by short periods of time in which you stop breathing (sleep apnea), which causes the supply of oxygen. If you have a hard time getting out of sleeping on your back, try this trick: Put on a back pocket shirt and put a golf ball in your pocket. If what you usually do is sleep on your stomach, put your pocket and the ball in front. The discomfort of having the ball pressing against your body will lead you to adopt a side position.
We already have an excuse to go out more… According to a study by the Universities of Utah and North Carolina (USA), having a good network of family and friends support is as good for your health as quitting smoking. And another study, this one from University College London, has concluded that people with a poor personal life are 34% more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease.
Take care of the couple relationship. Getting angry in and of itself is bad. The University of South Carolina (USA) has found that people who get very angry are 71% more likely to have hypertension than calm people. But, also, that you know that divorce multiplies by 1.5 the chances of a heart attack, especially in women, according to the journal Circulation.
Sex is friend of the heart. There are studies that show the relationship between having little sexual intercourse and an increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, especially in the case of women with low desire, who tend to suffer more heart attacks. So remedy it!
Give up smoking. If you quit, your risk of having a heart attack drops by half in a year. Is there something else to add? What is not so easy? Your GP will be happy to give you a lead. Also, think that if you smoke more than half a pack a day or do it very early, you are going to need more than willpower and you will surely have to follow a nicotine replacement therapy based on gum, candy or patches.

And you, do you take good care of your heart? If you have doubts, solve them with our test to find out if your heart is healthy.