World Heart Day (Sept 29th 2018): Eat Healthy & Exercise Daily to Remain Heart-healthy

Lifestyle Tells it All About Your Heart

Cardiovascular disease is the world’s No.1 killer today taking lives of more than 17.9 million people amounting to 31% of all global deaths (WHO). Our heart is where our life is. Any problems to the heart and our life is doomed. One might go heartbroken over relationships which can be mended to a certain extent but suffering from a troubled heart due to diseases and health conditions puts a person’s whole life at risk.
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Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are those that are not the result of an infectious agent but long-term chronic diseases that are the result of genetics, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers and diabetes are all NCDs, but CVDs top the list accounting for nearly half of all NCD deaths. Taking all these into concern, in the year 2012 countries across the world decided to slash down mortality rated from NCDs by 25% by 2025.

World Heart Day
The World Heart Federation (WHF) created the World Heart Day in the year 2000 with the aim of creating awareness among people about the grueling effects of CVD, its heavy toll on human life and suggesting various changes that every individual can implement in his/her life to avoid/control CVD. Various banners, posters, leaflets, logos and guidelines are distributed, events are organized and landmark buildings are flashed with red light to highlight the importance of this day. Families, individuals, communities and governments participate in these campaigns uniting as one world fighting against the deadly effects of CVD inspiring each individual to take a step forward towards better heart-healthy lives.

Decrease Intake of Certain Foods, Increase Longevity
This World Heart Day, why don’t all of us make a promise to live a heart-healthy life? The WHF lays down a simple promise…for My Heart, for Your Heart, for All Our Hearts. Use this day as an opportunity to start cooking healthy food, eating nutritiously, staying active, helping children to play outdoors frequently, quitting smoking and helping your loved ones too quit smoking.
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1. Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables daily
2. Swap out salty and sugary foods and bring in healthier ones such as cut fruits, whole grains, nuts and dairy
3. Cook at home and eat as much as possible
4. Do physical activity for at least 150 minutes five times a week
5. Play with children, involve elders in your activity time and engage in interesting ones such as football, gardening or dancing.
6. Quit smoking. This is the best of your things that you could pursue. In a few years down the line the risk of CVD decreases to that of a non-smoker
7. Minimize stress by doing meditation, yoga and other stress-relieving activities listed at www.firsteatright.com.
   
   

To those unaware, 75% of CVD deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries and 85% of all CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes. Such negative consequences can be curbed and people’s life improved only if all of us work together towards betterment in our lives and others lives as well. Let’s make utmost use of the world’s biggest awareness-raising platform for CVD and improve our heart-health standards.