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Healthy heart Exercise to stay fit

Heart attacks in youngsters have gained in numbers like never before. Dr. R.R. Mantri, senior consultant, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology at Dharamvira Heart Centre, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, explains how in the last 20 years, the average age of heart attack victims has come down by 10 to 15 years. “Earlier most heart attack patients would be above 50, but now cases in youngsters have become an everyday affair. That says it all.”

Though men are at a higher risk of having heart attacks, women are not far behind. Earlier it was thought that only women who have attained menopause or are diabetic have chances of having a heart attack but the case is no longer so. And the blame is clearly on the changing lifestyle. “People want to climb the success ladder too soon. The results are bad food habits, increased instances of smoking and wrong sleep patterns. It is the case where you first ruin your health to gain money and later ruin your money to gain the health back,” sighs the doctor.

Stress is unavoidable at times, but the lack of a support mechanism is what worsens things. A lot of stress is bottled up due to lack of social interaction. “Earlier joint families used to act as sponge and give moral support. But now the nuclear family has made a person self-centred,” feels the doctor.

Silent heart attack is a term you often hear, where a person suffers from a heart attack without showing any symptoms or forewarning. But Dr. Mantri disagrees that it is getting increasingly common. “Silent heart attacks are rare cases, which happen mostly to diabetic patients. In general, the real reason is that people ignore their symptoms. For example, gas that causes severe pain in the chest is a major indication but many people assume it must be due to acidity.” Severe chest pain, breathlessness, sweating and heaviness in the chest are some other symptoms to look out for. There’s a practical way out of every problem. Some minor changes in your lifestyle are all it takes to maintain a healthy heart. Avoid bringing your stress home. Take a break from your hectic schedule. Plan a weekend outing with friends or family. Introduce some relaxation technique into your daily routine, be it music, books, yoga or films. Include some form of exercise. Eat right. There’s no dearth of healthy food. And most importantly, quit smoking.

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