Dr. Rohit Arora’s Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Heart

When it comes to the most worrisome health concerns here in Pittsburgh, heart-based conditions have slowly become dominant. In fact, the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Heart Association recently announced that heart diseases are affecting more people under 40. Given the tight-knit community that we are proud of, how can Pittsburgh residents overcome this issue?

Obviously, the most straightforward way to combat heart conditions is to focus on one's overall health. Although this sounds quite simple, it can be difficult to do. For instance, maintaining a healthy heart will include everything from frequent exercise to a specialized diet. So, what are some of the steps that people should take in order to lower the risk of heart issues? Dr. Rohit Arora, a Chicago-based Cardiologist and Professor at the Chicago Medical School, weighs in:

Eliminate Dangerous Habits

Contrary to popular belief, things like irregular smoking or drinking are extremely dangerous. Besides impacting the body negatively, they may develop an addiction that leads to harsh consequences. Consider, for instance, some of the heart-based effects of smoking:

• Increases the likelihood of blood clotting that could lead to a heart attack;
• Raises the body's adrenaline and causes the heart to beat faster;
• Reduces the delivery of oxygen to one's blood flow;
• Causes a slow accumulation of fat cells in one's arteries.

Naturally, all of these increase in the odds of randomly experiencing a heart attack. After all, this is where one's heart stops beating due to a blood clot or clogged arteries.

Similarly, extended exposure to excessive alcohol consumption will have terrible side-effects. First, it could cause one's heart to beat irregularly. This manifests itself as nothing more than chest pain. Hence why it is so potent and difficult to properly diagnose in time. Also, when a heart stops beating properly, one's blood pressure skyrockets. Ultimately, they may have a heart attack simply because the body is unable to bring itself back to normal.

Physical Activity

Although the heart is not a skeletal muscle, it still benefits from frequent exercising. According to Dr. Rohit Arora, exercising will help maintain a healthy body weight. So, what kind of physical activity should one do in order to improve their heart's condition?

- Aerobic Exercises

One of the most beneficial workout regimes boils down to aerobic exercises. For those unfamiliar, this includes things like running, jogging, biking, hiking, and so on. In other words, it takes advantage of one's body weight as they engage in activities that cause their heart to beat faster.

The only shortcoming is the fact that it takes some time to build up the necessary stamina for aerobic workouts. For instance, non-runners will often have to begin by simply walking. After a while, however, their muscles and heart health will facilitate an improvement in performance.

- Strength Exercises and Stretching

Dr. Rohit Arora also advises people to look into resistance training. Unlike aerobic exercising, this alternative will not raise one's heartbeat as much. It will, however, focus on working out one's muscles. A healthier heart is a mere byproduct of these types of training programs. Also, those who rely on resistance training should frequently stretch. Doing so eliminates the risk of injury and allows one to continue exercising for longer periods of time.

Maintaining a Healthy Diet

In the end, Dr. Arora stresses that regular exercise will be minimally effective absent proper dieting. After all, the clogged arteries that lead to a heart attack are primarily caused by immoderate fat intake. This is why it is crucial to avoid eating foods that contain a lot of calories that come from saturated fats. Instead, one should focus on protein, moderate carbohydrates, and fiber.

Additionally, consuming the necessary amount of fruits and vegetables will help with the absorption of micro-nutrients. These are the countless vitamins and minerals that the body needs in order to function properly. Ultimately, one can simply start by watching their portions and ensuring that they are not overeating.

Although there are many more important steps to take, the aforementioned few will help jump-start the venture. Hopefully, the more that Pittsburghers become aware of these problems, the more they will make healthy choices.