My Health, My Wealth with Dr. (Med) Edwin ASUMANG ASARE: Keeping the beat: Everyday habits for a healthy heart

“Good health is not something we can buy. However, it can be an extremely valuable savings account.”\xa0– Anne Wilson Schaef

Introduction

It goes without saying that the heart is the body’s most faithful servant. This muscle works nonstop from about 22 days after conception until our last breath. Yet, in our daily rush, we often ignore this loyalist until it either falters in rhythm, sends a painful signal, or ultimately stumbles.

Heart disease doesn’t always start with chest pain. Often, it develops over years of unhealthy habits, wearing it down. But when we suggest lifestyle changes, we are not suggesting you run five miles daily or live off only salads.

The good news is that small, consistent choices can help rebuild the heart’s strength. This article, building on our previous discussion on the heart’s subtle signals, explores practical and proven everyday steps to help protect this vital muscle and keep the heart strong for many years.

Nourish it Wisely – The Diet Factor.

To keep up with its tireless function, the heart depends on a constant supply of nutrients you offer it daily. The content of one’s diet is, without question, the foundation for healthy arteries and blood pressure.\xa0 A diet rich in salt, processed foods, and saturated fats favours the development of heart-unfriendly medical conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and atherosclerosis (the formation of occlusive cholesterol plaques within arteries).

On social media nowadays, it is easy to come across a diet plan, with one being created with every passing day. However, it is worth mentioning that sticking to a healthy diet is not about perfection, but intention. Small changes, such as opting for a handful of nuts over chips, increasing water intake and reducing soda, and choosing oats over sugary pastries, when made consistently, can have a lasting impact.

Diets supported by scientific literature include the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy oils such as olive oil over butter, fish over red meat, and herbs over salt, without compromising on flavour.

Another popular dietary plan in scientific literature is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. These styles of eating are recognized by notable institutions, such as the World Health Organization and Mayo Clinic, as healthy eating patterns, and research has shown that consistency is key to achieving the maximum benefit.

Keep it Moving – Physical Activity

The heart was definitely not built for stillness. As a muscle, it thrives on movement to grow stronger and more efficient. Consistent exercise has been shown as one of the direct ways to improve overall cardiovascular health.

A regular exercise routine lowers blood pressure, lessens the risk of developing diabetes, maintains a healthy body weight, and reduces inflammation. In so doing, exercise controls and modifies many risk factors for heart disease.

Other benefits include improved muscle efficiency in oxygen uptake (reducing the heart’s workload), reduced stress hormone levels, and increased good cholesterol. The benefits of exercise are best achieved when combined with a healthy diet.

The American Heart Association recommends combining aerobic activities, such as walking, jogging, and biking, with strength or resistance training, using light weights or resistance bands, to achieve the most significant benefits in preventing and managing heart disease. It is recommended to engage in at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, five days a week.

For us whose days are packed with work and obligations, the goal is not perfection but momentum. Take the stairs. Walk during phone calls. Park a little farther from the shop. Your heart does not forget these small decisions.

Check in, Even Without Symptoms – Routine Screening

In cardiovascular health, danger often lurks in silence. There is rarely a distinct warning produced by high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high levels of cholesterol until it is too late. Yet, these conditions silently wear down the heart.

The role of routine health screenings cannot be overemphasized. This is especially true after the age of 40 or earlier in individuals with a significant family history of heart disease. Such annual visits involve a simple blood pressure check, cholesterol panel, or fasting blood glucose/sugar test, along with a physical examination, which can reveal health risks long before symptoms appear. Additional tests, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), kidney and liver function panels, may be ordered depending on overall health or medication use.

Manage Stress and Sleep – The Heart Feels What the Mind Carries

We often think of heart disease as involving only tangible factors and measurable indices like blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, the heart listens closely to and responds to what we can’t measure, such as stress and physical exhaustion.

Persistent stress, over time, leaves the body in a constant “fight or flight” mode by flooding the bloodstream with stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This leads to higher blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, and physical changes to the heart itself. Poor sleep has similar effects, especially in individuals with sleep apnea, a common cause of nighttime drops in blood oxygen levels and daytime fatigue, which often goes undiagnosed.

Caring for your heart must therefore involve caring for your peace of mind. Prioritize quality sleep, aiming for at least seven hours per night. Create still moments daily, such as taking a quiet walk, practicing deep breathing, meditation/prayer, or relaxing at say, the beach. Learn to say no. Rest should not be viewed as a reward but as a necessity. Remember that even at rest, your heart still works; therefore, give it rest worth working for.

Break the Habits that Break the Heart

Some threats to the heart are familiar and, with modern research, even predictable. Habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, and prolonged inactivity have been shown to have detrimental effects on cardiovascular health.

Cigarette smoking has been shown to constrict blood vessels, lower oxygen supply, and accelerate atherosclerosis. Excessive alcohol intake also raises blood pressure, predisposes to irregular heart rhythms, and weakens the heart muscle over time.

Remarkably, the heart is very forgiving. According to recent clinical trials, improvements in resting heart rate and blood pressure can be observed within 1 to 3 weeks of quitting unhealthy habits, such as smoking. Small changes like these can begin to tip the health balance back in your favour.

Keeping the Beat – Listening Before the Silence

The heart does not complain loudly. It prefers to send quiet messages in skipped beats and unspoken fatigue. But you don’t have to wait for it to speak before listening.

Caring for your heart does not require a perfect lifestyle. Consistency is all that is needed. The decisions we make in our daily lives are what shape a healthy future for our hearts.

While it pumps silently for you each day, choose to repay it in rhythm and with care.

Credits:

\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0 Ten Ways to Improve Your Heart Health Infographic | American Heart Association. (n.d.). https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/the-ten-ways-to-improve-your-heart-health

\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0 10 practical, daily tips to improve heart health | Heart | Prevention | UT Southwestern Medical Center. (n.d.). https://utswmed.org/medblog/heart-health-tips-habits/

\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0 Exercise and the Heart | Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercise-and-the-heart

Gaya, P. V., Fonseca, G. W. P., Tanji, L. T., Abe, T. O., Alves, M. J. N. N., de Lima Santos, P. C., Colombo, F. M. C., & Scholz, J. R. (2024). Smoking cessation decreases arterial blood pressure in hypertensive smokers: A subgroup analysis of the randomized controlled trial GENTSMOKING. Tobacco Induced Diseases, 22, 10.18332/tid/186853. https://doi.org/10.18332/TID/186853

About the Writer

Dr.ASARE\xa0is a medical doctor who received his training at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He currently practices at COY Paediatric Practice in Tema. His interests include cardiology and public health communication. He is also a skillful guitarist and musician who connects music with his medical practice during non-working hours or leisure time.

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