A healthy heart ….
It is February, the “month of heart health”. Let us talk about the health of that indispensable yet not immortal ticker in your body – the heart. Your heart just ticks round the clock 365 days a year without pause. Don’t you think it needs special care and attention, especially if you are a mom-to-be?
Why you should keep your heart healthy when you are pregnant?
Your body journeys through many changes during the pregnancy. These include hormonal changes and odd food cravings among others. Additionally:
- Your blood volume goes up by 30 to 50 percent during the pregnancy. This puts additional stress on your heart and circulatory system.
- Your heart pumps more blood every minute to nourish your baby and this increases your heart rate.
- Further, your heart will have extra workload during labor and delivery.
As you can see, heart health is more important than ever during pregnancy. Your heart plays a key role in the physical well-being of both you and your baby. Therefore, you must take extra care to keep your heart healthy.
What are the benefits of a healthy heart during pregnancy?
Keeping your heart healthy:
- Improves the health of both your baby and you.
- Reduces the risk of heart-related diseases.
- Maintains proper amount of nutritional supply to both of you.
- Minimizes risk of complications such as preeclampsia.
- Helps in handling the added pressure during pregnancy, labor, and delivery
But how can you keep your heart healthy during the pregnancy?
There are three factors that need your immediate attention: diet, exercise, and mental wellbeing.
A fiber-rich diet packed with omega-3s is the ideal combo to improve your heart health. Foods loaded with legumes, salmons, leafy greens, berries, whole grains, fish liver oil, avocado, dried fruits and to some extent dairy products are the need of the hour. Decrease intake of Sodium.
Exercises like walking, swimming, and other forms of low-impact cardiovascular exercise go a long way in keeping your heart healthy. However, make sure you are adequately hydrated, no matter which exercises you choose.
Mental well-being influences blood pressure, which is very crucial to your heart health. Below are a few tips you may incorporate into your lifestyle to ensure mental well-being.
- Avoid stressful situations
- Practice yoga, deep breathing, or meditation exercises
- Stay active without tiring yourself out, be no couch potato
Why wait then, to reap the benefit of a healthy heart and reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy, start to focus on your heart health today.
ReproMed Fertility Center offers personalized fertility treatments in four convenient locations in the Dallas metroplex and one in Tyler. Please contact us at (214) 827-8777 for all appointments and information.