And The Beat Goes On
February has long been known as National Heart Month in the USA, and The British Heart Foundation has followed suit declaring the month #HeartMonth. We all know our hearts are what keep us upright and alive, but what can we do to ensure they remain in tip-top condition? Below are 4 ways you can make sure your heart is able to work for you:
Get Pumped – the heart contains muscles that need exercising to keep strong like any other muscle in our body. It is working hard to supply oxygen to the body and a weak heart can’t deliver the goods. For those at risk of cardiovascular disease, you may find physiotherapy helps to find out how your body can work to strengthen the right muscles and optimise blood flow. Physiotherapists can work with their patients to get the body moving and strong, which in turn keeps the heart happy.
Eat Well, Live Well – what we consume can have enormous repercussions for our heart and cardiovascular systems. Most people know that excessive sugars, fats and salt can be extremely damaging to our hearts, but a more detailed and tailored plan can help to get your heart working for you. Everybody is different and nutritional therapy looks at the body as a whole to see what you need to be fully functional. Existing high blood pressure or cholesterol issues could be aided by simply tweaking our diets.
Stress Busters – the British Heart Foundation suggests that whilst stress alone won’t cause a heart attack, you may turn to unhealthy habits to cope with stress and anxiety, and these can lead to long-term high blood pressure and other complications. Instead of reaching for alcohol, cigarettes or unhealthy junk food, the best thing to do is confront the stress head-on. Talking to a professional or making time for some stress-busting acupuncture can help relieve negative thoughts and put things into perspective. When we feel overwhelmed it can be troublesome to unpick the issue but having someone completely unbiased listen to you or simply taking a break can have an instant effect.
Give It Up – smoking is a well-known cause of heart failure and research by the British Heart Foundation suggests that your risk of heart attack is half that of a smoker after just one year of quitting. Easier said than done? Smoking is highly addictive and for many it is extremely challenging to quit. If you find the stress builds up when giving up, why not book yourself a massage treatment or take up exercise as a distraction.
Keeping your heart healthy should be top of your priorities and our collective of therapists at Yellow Door Therapies have treatments and programs ready to help you along the way.