- Heart experts say a a 32-inch waistline for women and 35 inches for men must be maintained
- They note that to take care of the heart, people must know the ‘numbers’
- People must know their BP, sugar level, cholesterol count
Having a a 32-inch waistline for women and 35 centimeters for men will help in maintaining a healthy heart.
In an article written by Charina Clarisse Echaluce of Manila Bulletin, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) warned that heart disease has become a major health concern; thus, they are urging the public to set goals for maintaining a healthy heart, especially now that more people have sedentary lifestyle as a result of social media and getting hooked on gadgets.
PHA said everyone’s goal must be making sure not to be part of the “growing population of hypertensive, diabetic, hypecholesterolmic, obese, and couch potato Filipinos.”
Heart experts stressed that knowing the “numbers” is important. Aside from having the normal waistline, one should also have a normal BP which is 120/80; normal sugar level which is less than 100; normal cholesterol count which is 200.
“We don’t look at the symptoms anymore. We look at the numbers – age, genetic predisposition and other risks which are modifiable and non-modifiable,” said Dr. Raul Lapitan; PHA vice president and Heart Month chairman.
The modifiable factors, or the ones that can be controlled, are hypertension, high cholesterol and sugar, smoking and stress, including lifestyle practices. Meanwhile, the non-modifiable factors or the ones that cannot be controlled are culture, sex and age.
People are also advised to start having their blood pressure and blood chemistry checked every year. These will be the “control numbers” that will be used to manage the cardiovascular risks.
Sedentary lifestyle
Sedentary lifestyle, according to John Hopkins Medicine, is clearly seen to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other conditions.
Here is a list of the negative effects of inactivity:
- Less active and less fit people have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.
- Studies show that physically active people are less likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who are inactive. This is even after researchers accounted for smoking, alcohol use, and diet.
- Lack of physical activity can add to feelings of anxiety and depression.
- Physical inactivity may increase the risk of certain cancers.
- Physically active overweight or obese people significantly reduced their risk for disease with regular physical activity.
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