Proper Cardiac or Heart Care for Parents

Caring for your heart isn’t just a sound bit of advice, it’s essential to your survival. As a parent, it’s tough being on heart and blood pressure medicine. However, the alternative is far worse—it costs millions of pesos to get a heart transplant.  And that’s if you’re lucky, since many can’t even get a compatible donor.

Why wait to get that sick?  This may be an overused adage but it’s true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true of parents because they set the right example of healthy living for their kids.

To give us pointers on proper cardiac or heart care, we interviewed notable cardiologist Dr. Vicky de Mesa*:

 

Eat Right, Live Right - Pay close attention to your BMI (Body Mass Index) and your waist circumference.  Studies show that you are 46% more likely to die of a heart attack if your gut protrudes significantly over your belt by several inches.  A nutritionist can help you figure out your ideal weight, waist circumference and BMI.  You can also consult her to get the exact diet you need but it will most likely focus on fiber, more fish and less beef and pork.  And ease up on the salt, too.  Too much salt and fat will turn your arteries into chicharon bituka.  As an alternative, load up on eight servings on fruits and veggies daily.

 

Watch Your Alcohol Intake – They say a glass of red wine a day is good for you but too much of a good thing is also bad.  If you do like having cocktails or beer, the right daily dose is 2 servings for men and one serving for women.  As much as possible, avoid binging on alcohol (in parties and especially alone) as the repeated stress on the body can eventually lead to a heart attack. 

Keep yourself well hydrated.  Drink six to eight glasses of water daily to clean out your system.

 

Click here to read more tips on proper cardiac or heart care for parents.

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Here are more tips on proper cardiac or heart care for parents.

 

Stay Active – Dr. de Mesa recommends 30 minutes of cardio-pumping with proper warm ups and cool downs at least four times a week.  Getting a gym membership will help but regular exercise from activities like biking, hiking and swimming are also very good.  Walking for one to two hours a day is a good start to keep your blood circulating.

Note that sex burns around 25-40 calories and is considered a low impact aerobic exercise...

 

Quit Smoking – Nicotine clogs and hardens arteries and veins, which also weaken the heart and diminish its capacity to pump blood through the body.  Quit the smoking habit now and your body and especially your loved ones will thank you later.   

 

Cardiac Problems Can Be Hereditary – If your family has a history of heart ailments, there’s a good chance you’ll have them too.  For those that do have that background, ideally they should’ve been watching their cardiac condition as early as childhood.  If you haven’t, better late than never—also have your doctor monitor your children’s heart health to establish a proper baseline.  Even if you don’t have the genetic predisposition for it, regular blood pressure checkups can’t hurt.  For most people between 30-50, hitting the 130/85 range is already pre-hypertensive. 

 

Learn to Relax – Stress can wear down your heart as badly as chronically indulging in greasy burgers.  Take up yoga, tai-chi, meditation or prayer.  If you’re having emotional problems, don’t be afraid to seek professional counseling.

 

Get Enough Sleep – Dr. de Mesa says a minimum of six hours of night sleep is necessary to keep a healthy heart so try to get off the night shift every now and then.  A thirty-minute mid-day nap is also good but any longer will not benefit your health.

 

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the individual. 

 

Photo from flickr.com