Ways To Keep Your Heart & Body Healthy

AD - This is a guest post.

If you’ve been watching the hilarious Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing on iPlayer, in between all the laughs are some vital points to take home, especially about heart health. With all the hard work it has to do (it’s so easy to forget it is pumping non-stop) taking care of your heart is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. I’m not just talking about you, but other members of your family, especially anyone you know who you think would be prone to issues relating to poor heart health.

In this short blog post, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the things you, or someone you’re concerned about, could do to ensure you have good heart health and aren’t at risk with a surprise in years to come. All these tips are easy-going and don’t put pressure on anyone.

1: Know what cholesterol actually is

Cholesterol is one of those funny words where you think it means a bad thing, but it’s pretty much the opposite. You’ll often hear about people having high cholesterol levels, which isn’t great for the heart, but your body does need a base level (which differs from person to person) of cholesterol as it helps with lots of things. In fact, your body needs cholesterol to help digest food and produce hormones. Having a high level creates plaque on your arteries, so think of it like taking care of your teeth.

2: Know what the signs of heart problems are

When someone has a heart attack, it’s not the way actors in a soap-like Emmerdale or Corrie get on where a person would clutch their chest and drop to the floor. The signs of heart problems can be much broader than that. Obviously, pains in the chest are the most common, but some things that could be linked to a heart issue include: Feeling sweaty when you’ve not been “pushing” yourself, Regular stomach pains, Jaw pain, which is more common for women with heart problems, and constantly feeling tired.

3: Knowing when to see a specialist

Never put off going to a GP if you think someone you know has heart issues. They’ll be able to give a full assessment and refer you to a specialist. You can also visit a private consultant cardiologist who can carry out a chest pain assessment with imaging technology, which is like a very fancy 21st-century version of an x-ray.

4: Walk the dog

Being lazy is, unsurprisingly, one of the biggest problems people with heart issues have. Simple (pardon the language) getting up off your bum and going out for at least half an hour every day can do wonders for your heart. I liken it to your heart being like a car engine. Leave it sitting all the time and the thing will have problems getting started when you need it to get going.

5: Eat chocolate and drink wine

Before you run to the kitchen to open a bottle of merlot and crack a chocolate orange on the counter, hear me out. Both cocoa and wine (has to be red) have a very low level of anti-oxidants in them that cholesterol like. So if you were to have just one glass with dinner, and a piece (or two) or high percentage chocolate from those fancy bars you get in the supermarket, your body will actually be thankful.

Bonus tip: Remember your annual check up

Annual check-ups at the doctors are vital, that goes without saying, however, they are often pushed back to the end of the to-do list. I know I'm guilty of that. Our bodies need them, a yearly service so to speak, women's health has never been so important. From high cholesterol, low blood pressure, to STD checks. It's always a good idea to book in that doctor's appointment - it's better to be safe than sorry.