The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched but are felt with the heart. The world Heart Day is celebrated every year on the last Sunday in September. In 2013 the World Heart Day is going to be celebrated on 29th September. In 2012 a multi-national survey was conducted for assessing the perception of the general public to know the age they believed people should start caring about their heart’s health. The outcome of the survey was shocking as the major percentage of the people believed that they should till 30 or older before they need to begin extensively caring about the need to protect their heart.
In continuation of the to finding of that survey this year the World Heart day celebration theme would be stress focus on a life-course approach to the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) focusing mainly on children and women. The main reason behind the theme is that from childhood to our adulthood we have ample opportunities to take preventive measures to cure heart diseases and strokes. CVD can affect people of any age group. It is a myth that heart diseases are merely lifestyle diseases which primarily target affluent, male and older people. The women are equally at risk as that of men and children are also vulnerable to heart diseases.
In the present times heart diseases and strokes are claiming 17.1 million lives worldwide every year. In such a situation the risk of heart diseases is seriously underestimated by women. According to a survey heart disease is actually the number one slayer of women and causes 1 in 3 female deaths, which means one death per minute.
It is important that women get aware about the CVD risk and take due actions to protect themselves and their family from heart related diseases. In children the risk of them suffering from CVDs can be even before their birth, i.e. during the fetal development. The prime causes for one being suffering from heart related diseases are their exposure to unhealthy diets, smoking and lack of exercise. Modern society majorly contributes in exposing children to this risk with the diets that is too low in calories and high in sugar, Computer games have restricted the physical activity along with an environment which is filled with tobacco smoke which inhaled by the child in a passive manner.
On the occasion of World Heart Day , the members of the World Heart Federation urge each one of us to bring about a few changes in the your as well as your loved once life. As these changes would greatly reduce and protect them from the risk of stroke and heart diseases. The tips mentioned below are certainly going to help each one of us to make a start.
1. Getting Physically Active
You might be surprised to know that physical inactivity, causes a total of six percent of deaths globally. Health conditions like diabetes, obesity and lack of physical activities will greatly increase the chances that the child will develop heart disease in his adulthood. Indulging in even 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity even five times per week can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in a person.
2. Eating a heart-healthy diet
The modern lifestyle is making more and more people turn to processed food which is high in salt, saturated or trans fats or sugar. You would be surprised to know that unhealthy diet feature as four of the world’s top 10 leading factors which may cause death. A heart-healthy diet which incorporates a great balance of fruits and green vegetables can greatly prevent one from suffering from heart stroke and diseases.
3. Bidding Goodbye to Tobacco Forever
A large portion of people dying in the world, are the people who smoke and suffering from tobacco –related diseases. The smokers do not restrict to damaging their health conditions as passive smoking kills more than 600,000 nonsmokers every year including children. Passive smoking can also cause sudden death of an infant. It is highly recommended to the people in their health interest to quit smoking which will also prevent them from the risk of heart diseases and strokes.
4. Being Regular with Health Checkups
It is very important to be going for regular checkups of your heart health. Some of the prime factors that trigger heart diseases and stroke include risk factors such as high cholesterol, presence of diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol. All these factors can be avoided to a larger extent by incorporating a healthy lifestyle which would require one to indulge in regular exercise, taking up a healthy diet and avoiding tobacco. So a little bit of awareness is all which can save you from suffering from such a drastic health condition.
So take great care of your heart by following these simple steps because as they say the way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.