About your heart

Did you know that the human heart beats continuously around 70 times a minute? It does this all day, every day for around 80 years. That adds up to nearly three billion beats.

Think of your heart as being the same as your car’s engine.

If you look after your car, keep it regularly serviced, use the right parts and products and treat it with respect – it will continue to perform. Just like a car, your heart can only give as good as it gets.

Are You at Risk of heart disease?

Some people have higher risk factors than others. The major risk factors of tobacco use, alcohol use, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets, are the most common risks. Other risk factors are a family history of the disease.

But heart disease is preventable and adopting a healthy lifestyle can dramatically decrease your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Here are some tips.

Diet

Have five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day (two to four of fruit and three to five of vegetables.

Limit saturated fats – you will find these mostly in junk food and fast food. Keep “good fats” like fish and nuts in your diet.

Exercise

Studies show that 30 minutes of exercise a day -even if it's broken into three 10-minute sessions-can reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease. Try walking, swimming or cycling.

Limit Alcohol

Men should drink no more than two drinks a day and women should drink no more than one drink. The standard drink guide as per the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing’s website is a 285ml bottle of full strength beer (4.8% alc. vol), a 150ml glass of average restaurant serving of red/white wine (12% alc. vol), or 330ml glass of full strength spirits (5% alc. Vol).

Quit Smoking

The use of tobacco products greatly increases your risk of heart disease.

Dr Steve Marasovic. Cardiologist and Specialist General Physician

For more healthy heart tips, visit our website at: www.echoheartcentre.com.au