Heart age refers to how old your heart appears to be in comparison to your actual age. As many factors can affect the health of your heart, including diet, fitness levels and family history, it’s important to know how healthy, or unhealthy, your heart is. Understanding the age of your heart will also allow you to see how much you’re at risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. How is this calculated? Through many of the factors mentioned above, as well as whether or not you smoke, your cholesterol level and blood pressure. There are free to use heart age calculators online that can be completed within minutes. Once you know that status of your heart’s age, you can take the necessary steps to improve your heart health. How can you do that? Just follow these lifestyle changes and you’re sure to strengthen one of your most vital organs.
Get Moving
As your heart is a muscle, it needs to be exercised just like the rest of your body in order for it to stay strong and functional. Find activities that raise your heart rate to a safe level. It’s also important that you do activities and exercises that you enjoy, whether that means hitting the gym or going for a hike.
Quit Smoking
It’s tough to quit smoking. However, it’s necessary if you want to live a longer, healthier life for yourself and your family. Smoking, on top of causing cancer and other severe health issues, has been linked to heart disease. Stay strong and look for alternative smoking methods to help you kick the habit.
Eat Healthier
Eating foods that aren’t just good for your body overall, but your heart is important is if you’re serious about improving your heart health. Eating the appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables along with foods that contain healthy fats like salmon and avocados are a good place to start.
Lose Excess Weight
Carrying too much weight puts a strain on your muscles, bones and organs. Losing weight is more than just exercising on a daily basis or eating a balanced diet, it’s a personal journey that you need to be committed to for any real results to appear.
Don’t Stress Out
Stress is contributed to a wide variety of health issues. It will increase your blood pressure and speed up your heart rate. If your body is in a constant state of stress, then it will cause severe damage to your body over time. Keep your heart happy by finding relaxation methods that keep you calm for the long haul.
At Mississauga and Brampton’s Allwell Pharmacy, our trained and licensed staff is dedicated to helping our patients achieve their health goals, no matter what it may be. With locations in both Brampton and Mississauga, Ontario, our pharmacy provided flexible patient care for those in need. As an independently-owned compound pharmacy, we offer several services, some of which include free, local prescription deliveries, vaccinations, compression stockings, professional advice and more. Call and book an appointment with our pharmacist who can help you assess your heart age and make a customized plan to reduce your risk.