According to the World Health Organization, Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the world’s leading cause of mortality. It accounts for one out of every three fatalities.

It’s never too late to start changing your lifestyle toward a healthier heart. Here are a few practical steps you can follow.

1. Eat a heart-healthy diet

Consuming the vitamins and minerals required by your heart lays the groundwork for a healthy heart. Foods that promote heart health by decreasing cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation include:

Greens with dark leaves

Seeds and nuts

Avocados

Extra virgin olive oil

Dairy with low fat

Sodium is a subtle yet damaging element in most processed meals. It accounts for over 80% of daily salt intake. You may be able to cut excess sodium from your diet by minimizing your consumption of processed foods.

2. If overweight, lose weight

Obesity, particularly around the midsection, raises your risk of heart disease. Excess weight can increase your risk of getting heart disease. It causes illnesses such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.

Calculating your BMI analyzes your height and weight. This determines if you have a healthy or unhealthy amount of body fat. It is one approach to assessing if your weight is healthy. Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or above. It is connected with higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke

3. Regular exercise

Physical activity helps to improve blood pressure and cholesterol, inactive people can begin with minimal amounts of physical exercise. It can be a part of their typical everyday activities. They can then increase the length, frequency, and intensity of the exercise.

Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. Examples include climbing stairs, dancing, or completing domestic activities that cause a small rise in heart rate.

4. Stop smoking

Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke are harmful to your heart. Quitting tobacco use is the biggest gift of health you can give your heart and has immediate and long-term health benefits, including living up to 10 years longer. After a year of quitting, the risk of heart disease is about half that of a smoker. Fifteen years after quitting, the risk of heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker.

5. Avoid the use of alcohol

Alcohol consumption has been linked to more than 200 disease and injury conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. There is no safe level for drinking alcohol, so it is better to avoid drinking alcohol altogether to protect your heart. Excess alcohol consumption can worsen health conditions, that contribute to heart disease, like blood pressure, arrhythmias, and high cholesterol levels.

6. Have your blood pressure and blood sugar checked regularly

To maintain a healthy heart it is vital for your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol level to be checked regularly by a health worker. Some people do not exhibit symptoms even if they already have high blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes, set targets with your health worker and take your medicines regularly. Involve your loved ones in your journey to a healthier heart.

Talk to a doctor if you have behavioral risks (unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, use of tobacco and alcohol) so they can help you plan the lifestyle modifications to get your heart health back on track.