How to prioritise your heart health

How to prioritise your heart health:

1. Eat an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense diet. Avoid processed and highly-refined foods, sugar and trans fats; all of which contribute heavily to inflammation in the body.

Instead, create nourishing meals based on whole foods rich in vital nutrients and anti-oxidants.

A solid foundation for your daily intake should be a rainbow of colourful vegetables and fruit.

Include a portion of lean protein such as fish, poultry, lean red meat, eggs, pulses, beans or grains such as quinoa.

Alongside ensure you include a source of heart-heathy fats such as nuts, seeds, olives or avocado.

2. Take regular exercise; exercise helps to reduce inflammation, improves heart health and overall fitness, and reduces the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. It also helps with stress-reduction and optimising sleep.
3. Try to maintain a healthy weight, through a combination of healthy eating and regular exercise. Being overweight or obese can significantly increase your risk of heart disease, so prioritise your weight-loss goals to maximise your life expectancy.
4. Optimise sleep; Poor quality sleep has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

– Prioritise getting to sleep at a sensible hour

– improve your ability to fall asleep with a soothing ‘sleep sanctuary’; have a clutter-free, cool, dark and quiet bedroom

– have a relaxing pre-sleep routine, using a warm bath, reading or meditation to still a busy mind,

– limit ‘blue light’ exposure from gadgets in the last few hours before bedtime 5. Reduce your stress levels; Chronic stress can significantly contribute to heart disease by increasing inflammation in the body and raising blood pressure. Find stress-management techniques to incorporate into your daily routine, such as deep breathing, yoga, exercise, meditation, dog-walking, reading or an Epsom salt bath; whatever works best for you.

6. Avoid smoking and limit alcohol; both of these lifestyle choices are significant risk factors for heart disease.

Heart health can be complex; overall risks of heart disease are a combination of genetic predisposition, several important lifestyle factors and concurrent diseases.

Take control of the factors you can influence; this can have a major effect in your susceptibility to developing disease.

A functional medicine doctor work with you to create an individualised plan that takes into account your unique needs and health history.

A health coach can help support you in making that program achievable, helping you create new healthy habits, make good nutritional choices, overcome challenges and emotional factors holding you back, and offer you accountability and encouragement on your journey to better heart health.