Wise Ways to a Healthier Heart

 

 

Due to the growing number of fatalities attributed heart diseases, there is need to get you informed concerning things you can do to arrest an unhealthy state of the heart.

Several changes have altered the original state of lots of hearts. Hence, it is your responsibility to identify those factors that can put the heart in good lasting, working condition.

 

 

Wellbeing Digest hereby presents vital information ranging from nutrition to good lifestyle. This will support the health of your heart.

1. Focus on your abdomen: Research into the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has connected excess belly fat to an unhealthy blood lipid level and higher blood pressure. It is time to slim down the extra fat that you have developed around your abdomen. Exercising and eating low-calorie foods can make a great difference.
2. Stop smoking: Smoking is one of the chief risk factors for heart disease. If you use other tobacco products or smoke, the American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Blood Institute all encourage you to stop. It can make a big difference to your heart as well as your overall health.
3. Engage your hands: Put your hands to work to reduce stress, and unwind your mind. Engaging in activities such as crocheting, knitting, and sewing can help you relieve stress and do your heart some good. Other relaxing hobbies, such as completing jigsaw puzzles, cooking, or woodworking is other relaxing hobbies that take the edge off your stress.
4. Let the music move you: Whatever dance step you prefer, dancing makes your heart better. Like other forms of exercise, it increases your heart beat rate and gets your legs into motion. This can also burn up a good amount of calories per hour.
5. Switch to fish: Eat a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can also get rid of heart disease. Many types of fish, such as herring, sardines, salmon, and tuna are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

If you’re worried about mercury in fish, you may be excited to learn that the heart benefits of fish tend to outweigh its risks. Alternatively, you may go supplement (remember to consult your doctor). However, it is good to note that the only time supplements become essential are when your diet is lacking or when certain health disorders cause you to develop the Omega-3 Fatty acids deficiency.

6. Laugh aloud: Laughter is a medicine that improves Wellbeing. Laugh aloud in your daily life. Whether you like cracking jokes with your friends, watching funny movies, or cracking jokes with your loved ones, laughter can decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, decreasing inflammation in your coronary arteries and can increase your levels of HDL (high-density lipoproteins, also known as “good cholesterol.”
7. Stretch your muscles: Yoga can help you improve your flexibility, strength, and balance. It can help you relieve stress and relax. Moreover, yoga can improve your heart health. According to scientific research published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, yoga has the potential to reduce your risk of heart disease.
8. What about a little alcohol? —moderate consumption of an alcoholic beverage can help you increase your high-density lipoprotein levels.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you can drink red wine in particular as it may offer benefits that may help your heart. It doesn’t mean you should have alcohol at every meal. It just means that you can help prevent artery damage and blood clot formation.

9. Skip the salt—If the entire US population reduced its mean salt intake to just a half teaspoon per day, it would significantly decrease the number of people who develop heart artery disease each year. Researchers suggest that salt is one of the leading causes of increased health care costs in the US. Processed foods tend to be particularly high in salt. Therefore, you need to think twice before eating a lot of fast food.
10. Exercise regularly: It doesn’t matter how much you weigh, sitting for long periods of time could decrease your lifespan. People who live desk jockey lifestyles or are couch potatoes suffer from unhealthy effects on blood sugar and blood fats. If you work at a desk, take regular breaks and move around a bit. Take a walk on your lunch breaks and eat your lunch while walking.

By continuously raising and lowering your heart rate through simple exercise/workout, you can have a better vascular function. This does not only burn calories but increases the body’s detoxification process.

11. Keep track of your numbers: Keeping track of your blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar can help you maintain a healthy heart. Learn the optimal levels for your age group and sex. Take steps to maintain those levels, your doctor can tell you how. Remember to schedule regular checkups with your physician to stay on top of the numbers, and get regular checkups.
12. Eat chocolate: Eat dark chocolate. It is not only tasty but it contains heart-healthy flavonoids. These molecules help decrease your risk of heart disease.

According to researchers at the Journal Nutrients. Eating low amounts of dark chocolate, not milk chocolate can be good for you. The next time you want to eat some sweets, eat a small amount of dark chocolate. You don’t have to feel guilty about that.

13. Do more housework: Mopping up the floor or vacuuming may not be as intense as a fitness or workout class. The nut can help improve your heart health. They can burn calories while giving your heart a workout. Put on your favorite music and carry out a domestic activity.
14. Eat some nuts: If you eat walnuts, almonds, and other tree nuts, you will get a lot of fiber, protein, and fats. Including them in your diet can help decrease your risk of heart disease. Remember that the serving size is small, suggests the American Heart Association. While nuts are full of heart-healthy stuff, they also have a lot of calories in them.
15. Feel like a child: Fitness doesn’t have to be a boring thing. Let your inner child take the lead by enjoying an evening of laser tag, bowling, or roller-skating. You can have fun while burning calories.
16. Reduce unhealthy fat intake: Slicing your saturated fat to less than 7% of your daily calories can decrease your risk of heart disease. Learn to read the nutrition label before buying or consuming foods. If you don’t read nutrition labels, consider starting today. Take stock of what you are eating and stay away from foods that are high in fat, particularly saturated fat.
17. Take the scenic route home: Forget the shortest, but traffic congested route home and take the scenic route so you can enjoy your ride. Eliminating stress while driving can help you reduce your blood pressure and stress levels. That is something your heart will appreciate.
18. Make some time for breakfast: The first meal of the day is most important. Eating a nutritious high fiber and high protein breakfast helps you to maintain a healthy weight and optimal levels of energy throughout the day. To build a heart-healthy meal, reach for fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, such as cheese, yogurt, or low-fat milk, lean protein sources, such as a small serving of nuts or peanut butter, and fiber found in whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole grain cereals, or whole-wheat toast.
19. Use the stairs: Exercise is crucial for good heart health, so why not sneak it in every chance you get. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. What about parking far away from the real destination and walking further? Walk over to a colleague’s desk to talk, instead of just emailing them. Take your kids out and run around. Play a sport every weekend instead of just sitting on the couch and watching TV or playing video games. Every little bit of these outdoor activity adds up to better heart health.

How Identity Theft trouble can alter your Wellbeing

 

In a simple term, Identity theft is the deliberate use of someone else’s identity such as social security number and other personal and financial data to gain a financial advantage and other benefits.

These days, people are enticed by Banks to get their own credit card. The reasons for doing so are because a cashless economy is being encouraged and offer extreme shopping incentive. Hence, many people tend to be motivated to get a credit card. But do not realize that the way they use their credit cards can greatly affect their Wellbeing. Fraudulent activities by criminals are becoming popular as they target victims that carelessly use their credit cards whenever they go shopping.

 

People should take note that one of the most prevalent credit card rip-offs in the society today is the identity theft, as no day goes by without such report.

 

It is important to know how to avoid getting into trouble by;

 

1. Protect your vital personal/financial data: Never entertain phone calls that require you to give any personal data or information, even if the caller says he is from the bank that issued your credit card.

 

2. Avoid freebies and offers that involve credit cards: In case you are offered with some promotions requiring you to give some personal information. Freebies will entice you to try it. In the end, it may be too late to realize that you have just been a victim of an identity theft.

 

3. Do not carry your Credit/Debit card around: The problem with most people is that they tend to carry their cards wherever they are. You will never know what will happen while you are in a public place, where identity theft could just be lurking around, waiting for its next victim. To play safe, endeavour to stop this bad habit.

 

Your credit/debit card

Let’s imagine that you decide to fire your boss after you made good savings from your salary. You decide to invest in a business from all you have saved over the years.  Then, just one evening, you notice several bank transaction alerts to your mobile phone. Your account via your credit/debit card is ruined, and your future dream may never be a reality.  An identity thief did all these.

 

The above scenario may be imaginary, but similar situations have happened and may continue to happen to people especially if they give themselves over to ignorance.  Remember the Book of Life says ‘’people perish because they lack knowledge’’ When this kind of scenario happens to you, your entire WellBeing will be altered. Don’t wait to become a victim of victims of identity theft.

 

Here are a few ways to protect yourself from business and personal identity theft

 

1. Only use your card at ATM you know and trust. Make sure there is nothing unusual, as fraudsters may plant hidden a camera to harvest PINs of a victim.
2. Do not give out your card number online unless the site is secure (look for a closed lock at the address bar of your browser)
3. Avoid reaching into your wallet or purse in front of the machine. Someone could snatch it while you are distracted
4. When waiting in line at an ATM, stand a reasonable distance away from the person using the machine. Respect other people’s privacy.
5. Remember your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Don’t write it on your card or keep it in your wallet. Without the PIN, a stolen card cannot be used to get cash at an ATM or be used to make purchases at electronic POS terminals through ATM networks.
6. Do not give out your Credit/Debit Card number out over the phone unless you initiated the call. It is not in the policy of financial institution personnel to ask for your Credit/Debit Card number. They have it.
7. Report to the Bank, the loss, theft, or fraudulent activity immediately
8. Check your monthly e-statement for any transactions you didn’t carry out. If detected, immediately report to your Bank.
9. Avoid counting cash while at the ATM queue. You may be tempting a criminal.
10. Avoid carrying multiple ATM cards, as this will reduce the possibility of a loss.
11. Instead of using your regular Credit/Debit card online, get a pre-paid card and load e-cash only when you need to carry out a transaction online.
12. Never give your PIN to anyone. If you trust that person, it can be leaked to a third party with a criminal mind.
13. Ensure you do not use simple PIN to your Credit/Debit card. Also, ensure you change the default PIN on collection.
14. Ensure you destroy your ATM transaction. Don’t just throw them away, as it may be used it for different criminal activities which can land you in trouble.
15. Never respond to any request from anyone requesting you send your PIN or CVV. If you reveal all these, fraudsters may operate your account from anywhere.

 

 

Don’t be a victim online

What will you do if you receive an email from your bank telling or warning that your update your bank account data or your account will be suspended? And in the email, there is a link to which you should click and get your account updated. Without giving a second thought, most people will click on the link in the email which may take them to a fake bank web site. Even to the extent of giving the password and name assigned to their Bank card. In less than no time, you will only realize you just handed over your hard-earned money to some unknown criminals.

 

Many people have become a victim just from cases even like the one above. Phishing websites in our present day have become a way of stealing people’s identity electronically. If this has become a trend that can negatively alter one’s Wellbeing, then how can you protect yourself from being a victim?

 

Note that online criminals do everything possible to make phishing web sites look exactly like real bank website, making it difficult for you to recognize a fraud. Nevertheless, there are a couple of sign to alert you to possible danger.

 

 

Firstly, carefully look at the email whether the email is addressed to your name. Authentic emails from your bank will use your identity in the salutation. Otherwise, suspect danger.

 

Secondly, consider what the email is saying. Phishing schemes often use scare tactics at the beginning, such as telling you that your account is being suspended, to make you act quickly and without thinking twice. Relax, if your bank will be sending you a suspension notification email, they will contact you by phone, asking you to come in person to the Bank.

 

Thirdly, never attempt to click such link in an email as it will redirect you to the attackers’ web site. Never click such link, instead, type the Bank website into the system yourself (this method is to verify the status of the website). Call your bank immediately.

 

In conclusion, credit/debit card users should be responsible enough not to allow these fraudulent activities to happen. Bear in mind that the reason why these kinds of frauds exist is that information owners are not so conscious of what could go wrong when their vital data is not protected.

 

 

 

Prevent Food Poisoning today

Food poisoning can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Hence, it should be a high priority to avoid it. Take some time to learn about how to prevent of food poisoning or lessen the chances that you or your loved ones will be included in the statistic of food poisoning.

For the fact that the topic is very wide, endeavour to make the teaching simple, concentrating on the most important points such as fundamental rules guiding a healthy food and let them see reasons why food go bad and harm human life.

You are what you eat, so take care and add value to whatever goes into you by observing the following points:

1. Be Vigilant about Washing Your Hands and All Surfaces

Cleanliness in food preparation is an absolute must. When working with food, you should wash your hands thoroughly before and after food preparation. Wash them properly, for at least 20 seconds with very warm water and soap.

Wash all surfaces thoroughly before use, to prevent contamination by anything that may have touched them since their last use. If you are unsure whether they are fully clean, it is better to spend a few extra minutes washing them again than to take any chances.

2. Know Who Is Preparing and Cooking Your Food

It is easy to control what goes on in your own kitchen. It is entirely another story when it comes to eating out, or eating at friends’ houses. Keep an eye on their food preparation habits, and don’t be afraid to turn down any foods that were not handled properly, even if you risk offending someone.
This is very important as there have been cases of Restaurants with hygienically poor cooking environment, who are only interested in the profit to be made and not the quality.

3. Cook Food Thoroughly

Always cook food properly. It must be cooked to a certain temperature, and for a certain amount of time. Follow the rules and don’t experiment when it comes to food safety.
Most poisoning from meat is because of poor cooking. Some bacteria exists in the intestines of animals used for meat. These meats become contaminated at abattoir during slaughter when the waste matter in the intestine is mixed with the meat; which in most cases looks and smells normal, so it is not readily detectable.
To prevent this food poisoning in meat, cook them until no pink is showing. Make sure all the meat juices are clear, not pink or red, and that the inside of the meat is hot.

4. Don’t Leave Food Sitting Out

When you have finished eating, put the leftovers away immediately. When you remove something from the fridge or freezer to use it, put it back as soon as you are finished. Don’t allow food to sit around, being exposed to temperatures that make it easy for bacteria to access and grow on.

5. Avoid Cross-Contamination

When you are storing foods, keep raw meats away from fresh produce. In the freezer, don’t set bags of frozen food close to ice cube trays, because this may contaminate the ice cubes when they touch each other. Don’t use utensils for one food and then another. Each food has its own rules about how long it needs to be cooked, so keep dishes and utensils separate and free of cross-contamination.

With regards to kitchen hygiene, use your clean kitchen towels to dry your hands. If you are using a sponge to clean the counters or sink, use a fresh one after working with raw meat.
Wash your cutting board with a diluted bleach solution before using again. And any utensils or dishes having contact with raw meat need to be washed and rinsed with soap and water before usage.

6. Don’t Take Chances

Some of us are terrified of being wasteful. Being overly cautious of this, however, can lead to poor choices when it comes to food safety.

If you can’t remember how long your food have been left over, it might be more than two days old, throw them away. If a food smells slightly sour, throw it away. If a food has an expiry date that has already passed, throw it away.

Never take chances on your health, or that of your family. It is better to lose a few dollars by throwing food away than to end up in hospital in severe pain.

Finally, note that by making sure your family understands food safety, you will improve their lives and even those they associate with.